Blood In
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: For the Halloween spirit. Sequel to "New Life." Kim and Shego are still haunted by demons of their past, even though they are free. Is Shego in jeopardy of losing Kim after everything they've gone through? KiGo.
1. Revolve

I don't own these characters; Disney does.

Carmilla doesn't belong to me either.

This is the next installment in the now "New Blood" series. Before reading this, I would suggest you Zaratan's story "Blood Ties," which was his sequel to "New Life." There is a link to "Blood Ties" on my profile and it is also listed under my favorites.

Blood In

1: Revolve

"Goddamn it," Shego hissed as she pulled her now-injured hand out of a pipe. She stood up to her full height and banged her head on a different pipe. "Oh, goddamn it!" she hollered in pain as her free hand went to her head, feeling a bump already trying to make its presence known.

Shego was noting that it did not seem to be her day, and she probably should have stayed in bed. Were it any other day, she would have stayed in for a good long time. She did share the space with a sexy, insatiable, forever-young vampire, after all. Who would want to get out of bed if such a creature was waiting?

Usually, Kim did make it a point to keep Shego in bed for a couple of hours after they woke up, but the way that they went to bed last night had not left Kim in the best of moods, apparently. The redhead, after making sure that Shego was paralyzed from the neck down from mind-numbing pleasure, informed her soul-mate that she was going to go visit her parents later on. The visit was not a problem with Shego…or so the former villainess tried to make it seem. Shego expected Kim to visit with her parents, her family, and her friends that knew that she was not dead, as the rest of the world was led to believe. The problem came up when Shego refused to accompany Kim on her visit. Things had gone downhill from there.

Kim, of course, wanted to know why Shego did not want to go with her to see her parents. After all, Shego was the one that set up the little reunion a couple of months ago. Now, Shego never wanted to go see the Possibles. She never wanted to go with Kim to visit Monique or Ron either. She did not even offer decent excuses, aside for something weak like "they're not my friends" or "I don't care about them." The bland responses only worsened Kim's mood and it seemed like she could not get out of their home fast enough.

Things had not been going so great for the couple since they escaped Global Justice's talons and settled into their own home, a home that was right in the backyard of Kim's old home. They were living in one of Drakken's old lairs and it was right outside of Middleton.

The location gave Kim the perfect chance to visit her parents, brothers, Wade, and Monique whenever the urge came over her; Monique did live a little further away in the city. Seeing Ron was only slightly more difficult because he lived in another country, over an ocean, but Kim was very willing to fly the distance to see him; she was not able to teleport over such a vast distance, but she was trying to figure it out to make it easier to visit with her best friend.

Shego, on the other hand, was busying herself with "household" projects, like the one that she was doing now. She was trying to fix the pipes in the basement to get some use out of the other bathrooms in the lair; the place had a bunch of them because it used to hold so many people. She and Kim used the one that was adjacent to the bedroom that they had chosen, which was actually Shego's old room. Thankfully, that bathroom was still working while the others were all out of order.

When they had first moved in, Shego and Kim did not think that it would take much to get the old lair in order for them to live in it. But, after making sure the security was up, running, and keeping GJ away from them, everything else was slow to start. At first, it annoyed the hell out of Shego, but now, she was quite happy for that fact. It gave her something to do when she and Kim had a…problem.

"Problems seem to be multiplying," Shego muttered to herself while continuing to rub her head. The knot was there now, but she knew that it would be gone soon enough.

Instead of tending to her wounds, the super-powered woman decided to sit down. She sighed and rubbed her face. She felt tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to cry. Bad girls were not supposed to cry, she reminded herself.

"I already know she's going to leave me. Why does knowing it's coming not helping ease this fucking pain in my chest?" Shego asked herself. This was something that had been eating at her for a while now and it always seemed to come out when she was alone.

The pale woman felt like her chest was going to cave in and it felt like that a little more each time Kim decided to leave to go visit someone. She had been feeling that way since Ron sneaked into their home. She had worried so much that Ron was going to manage to leave with her little vampire; hell, she knew that deep down, she was still worried that Ron was going to come back and steal away with her blood-sucker. If not him, she felt like Kim's parents would convince Kim to come back home or Kim would just decide that she wanted to be with someone from her old life in order to be even closer to her old life.

After all, Kim seemed to like visiting people a lot more than spending time with Shego, the ex-thief thought. Kim went out visiting almost every day. Sometimes, she stayed out the whole day and did not bother with contacting Shego. The green-skinned woman was certain that was a big hint that Kim preferred the company of others now.

"I don't want to be alone now," Shego muttered and then she shook her head, as if trying to right her brain. "What the hell is wrong with me? I really shouldn't give a shit about this."

And, yes, maybe she would not have cared about things if it were seven years ago…maybe a little bit more considering the fact that even when she was not supposed to care, she had gone out of her way to find Kim and fight off a hungry vampire for the former teen hero. Right now, though, Kim was all she had. Kim was her whole life and the thought of losing Kim was constantly and consistently gnawing at her gut, devouring her soul.

"What am I supposed to do once she leaves?" Shego asked herself. "If she even finds a voluntary food supply, I'm done."

She figured that it would be much easier for Kim to find someone to feed off of now. Kim did not need much blood now and she seemed to get the thirst about once a month…leading to some very colorful jokes from Shego when she was in the mood to be a smartass, which was not as often as now as it was in the past. She had not been feeling much like herself lately.

"I should enjoy being free, but I feel worse now than I have in the past seven years," Shego admitted to herself and the walls. It was like she was waiting for her legs to be sawed off with a butter-knife, but she just could not bring herself to talk about it.

She did not want Kim to feel like she was obligated to stay, which was why she did not talk about it. Inside, part of her did feel like Kim was obligated to stay with her. After all, she had gone through a lot of crap for that girl in the past. Kim owed her something, damn it! But, then again, most of her could block that out with the fact that she really just wanted Kim to be happy.

She had never really had such a selfless feeling in her. She desired nothing more than Kim's happiness, even if it meant that Kim was going to leave her. Still, the thought of being alone for the rest of her life, which thanks to the Philosopher's Stone could be a really long time, ate at her like a rabid coyote.

"I don't have a life if I don't have Kim," Shego muttered to herself. That was a small thing to admit to the walls, but a huge thing to admit to Kim…which would explain why she had not confessed that.

She liked to believe that Kim knew that she was Shego's life. Ever since Shego rescued Kim from Adrian, everything that she did, every breath that she took, was in some way to help Kim. Now, Shego feared that the vampire would betray all of her actions by leaving her for more familiar company. And as much as she tried to convince herself that Kim would never do such a thing, each time the vampire left the lair, Shego fully expected her to never come back.

Tears actually stung Shego's eyes. Her heart started beating faster, aching as it moved. Headache threatened to overcome her mind.

"Princess…I don't want to be alone…" Shego said to the air.

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Kim decided to walk to her parents' house. It gave her a chance to think long and hard on her soul-mate's behavior and reaction to being invited to visit with the Possibles. Shego never wanted to go on visits with her and she could not figure out why since it was Shego that made it all possible.

"Maybe Shego doesn't like my family," Kim dared to consider. She thought that was a little weird, though. Considering all of the things that Shego had endured for her in the past, could her family really be the thing that scared Shego off? Not a chance in Hell and she knew that. So, she could not figure out why Shego never accompanied her on her visits.

Part of her dared to wonder if Shego was trying to distance herself, as if she planned on leaving Kim sometime soon. She remembered how shy Shego had been at that first reunion, as if she was trying to disappear into the background, like she was planning on fleeing the scene.

"I doubt Shego's going to run off after all of this time. I hope it's because she doesn't like my family. I know she and Ron have their rough moments, so I can see why she wouldn't want to go with me to visit him. She doesn't really know Monique and everything, but I would like her to know my family. I mean, hell, we're practically married. She's my soul-mate. She's been with me through everything, so why is she staying out of things now?" Kim wondered.

The best that Kim could come up with for Shego's reluctance to go with her was because Shego did not like her family. She could not understand why Shego did not like her family since Shego did not really know her family. She wanted Shego to get to know them and had told her such on several occasions. Yet, Shego still would prefer to stay home than to go with her on visits. Kim did not like it.

The more that she thought about it, the more it was evident on her face that she did not like it. Her face was scrunched up by the time that she got to her parents house; her forehead was wrinkled, her eyebrows bent inward, and her mouth twisted to one side. Thanks to her expression, her mother immediately knew that something was wrong when she opened the door.

"Kimmie, what's the matter?" Ann asked her daughter as she greeted the sulking vampire at the door.

"Huh?" Kim looked up and seemed surprised that she was standing in front of her destination. She glanced around, wondering when she got to the house and when her mother answered the door.

"What's wrong? You look like you're troubled about something," Ann commented while ushering her daughter into the house. She quietly shut the door behind them.

"Nothing's wrong. At least, I hope," Kim muttered that last part to herself, hoping her mother did not catch it. From what she could tell, luck was with her because the neurosurgeon did not comment her words.

"James, come downstairs! Kimmie's here!" Ann called up to her husband, who practically flew downstairs to greet their eldest.

"Kimmie-cub, I'm glad you're here!" James grinned and he grabbed her into one of his patented bear hugs.

Kim accepted the embrace. She was glad that her father greeted her in much the same manner every time that she showed up, even she had just been by yesterday. He was always so overjoyed to see her. It was like hugging him for the first time in years every time that she showed up, which saddened her by reminding her how long she had been gone, but it also made her feel so very loved.

"You're going to stay the whole day, right?" James inquired in a rather eager tone. He was grinning from ear to ear, obviously wanting nothing more than for the former hero to stay not just the whole day, but forever.

"I'll stay until dinner time. I have to get back to Shego, after all," Kim answered with a little smile.

"Where is Shego? Why is that she never comes with you to visit? We certainly would like to see more of her," Ann stated while looking around as if she was expecting Shego to fall out of the sky into their living room.

"Well, there's a lot of maintenance to do at our place, so she's really throwing herself into that. I keep trying to drag her away, but she's insistent when it comes to taking care of things," Kim explained with a shrug. It was that same excuse, even though it was true.

Whenever her parents asked why Shego did not come, Kim always maintained that Shego was fixing up their new home. This, of course, would always lead to questioning about their home. In the two months that Kim started visiting, she had not told her parents where she lived, how she could be reached there, or any vital information if they needed to contact her. That was not the only bits of information that she left out, either.

"It's a shame. She really needs to come out here and visit with us. It's almost like she's avoiding us," Ann noted.

"Don't be silly, Ann. Why would she avoid us if she was the one to save Kimmie and reunite us after so many years? She might just be a little shy about being around us since we're not her family," James reasoned.

"Well, we'd like to change her mind on that, but we can't do it if she never comes around," the medical doctor pointed out.

"This is true. Kimmie, please, try to get Shego to come by. We really want to thank her properly for bringing you back and we want to get to know her better," James informed the former hero.

"I'll try my best, Dad. I really want her to get to know you guys. I mean, I want you all to accept each other because Shego is everything to me," Kim explained. She had no problem with letting her family or anyone else know that Shego was her soul-mate and everyone accepted that.

"We understand that, Kim. This is why we want you to bring her around more often. So, try to get her away from all the home improvement and get her to come with you on your next visit," Ann implored the younger redhead. There was a strange, almost sorrowful look in her blue eyes as she got to the end of that statement. Her husband shared the same expression.

Kim was well aware of why her parents appeared so saddened and fearful when Ann mentioned the "next visit." Her parents were scared that each of her visits would be her last. She did not blame them for that fear. She had been missing for seven years and upon her return, she did not have a good explanation for them. She was still trying to think of a good way to describe her "current lifestyle" and her dining preferences. No, she had not told her parents that she was really a vampire.

Ron was actually the only person from Kim's old life that she confirmed her blood-drinking status with. Right now, he was the only one that could handle it in her opinion. Everyone else wanted her to pick up right where she left off and they did not notice her hesitations with their suggestions. Ron was the only one that knew and understood that she could not just pick things up where she left off.

"Where are you two living anyway? You still haven't let us in on that secret," Ann chimed in, right on schedule as far as Kim was concerned. One of the reasons that they were scared that Kim's visit would always be her last was because they did not know where she was staying. They could not call her up and confirm for themselves that she was somewhere stable.

"I told you, Mom, I'll let you know eventually. I'm not completely back yet," Kim answered. Responses like that did not ease their nerves either.

"You haven't told us what that means, though. How are you back, but not completely back? What happened?" James inquired, concern and worry causing his voice to crack. He really wanted to know what happened to his Kimmie-cub during those years that she was missing and why it still seemed to be affecting her now.

"I'll tell you when the time is right. Right now, can't we just enjoy the visit?" Kim pointed out with a big smile.

It was her vagueness that continued to worry her parents. They knew that she was still in trouble if she could not talk about things. They could only wonder what she had gotten herself mixed up in. They wondered if Kim was in over her head in something or if she was just in something way too deep.

The doctors tried to figure out and factor Shego into things to try to come up with an answer. Knowing how dangerous and evil Shego used to be, they imagined up some scary scenarios that the couple was involved in. Still, the things that the Possibles concocted did not explain some things, like why Shego returned Kim and why Kim considered Shego the beginning and end of her world. Nothing added up and they hoped that Kim explained it all soon and that Kim was back, even if she claimed that she was not "completely back."

"Come on, I made lunch," Ann said to change the subject and remind them all that it was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

The trio retreated into the kitchen to eat. James and Kim sat down while Ann gathered the sandwiches that she had prepared for the day. She eased in next to them, putting Kim in the middle of her parents. At first, Kim used to tense, thinking that her parents would somehow feel that she was not human and possibly shun her, but so far, they did not seem to sense anything amiss with her physically.

Another reason that Kim had not told her parents about her vampirism was because she was scared of rejection. She was not human and she thought that they might have a problem with that. Well, she was more scared out of her mind that they might have not accept her because of that. She did not have any real rational reason behind it, and that was keeping her from talking to Shego about it. She figured that Shego would think that she was being crazy for not having a reason for her fear. She also thought that Shego would be angry with her for not saying anything earlier since they usually talked about everything.

"So, have you started thinking about going back to school yet?" James asked curiously as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"I don't think I can do that just yet. I would like to, but I only just got back, Dad," Kim answered while taking a bite of her own food. It was her favorite sandwich once upon a time, but now, like all human food, it tasted like ashes on her tongue. She choked it down to keep up the farce that she was the same Kim that they remembered.

"Don't rush her, James. I'm sure she'll get to it when she's ready," Ann pointed out, slightly scolding her husband.

"I know. I know. I just remember all of the colleges and everything she planned to apply to. And then you missed out on your own graduation," James said, sorrow painting his features. He looked down at his sandwich and it seemed like he might cry into the food. He managed to get himself together after a few long seconds.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I would have been there if I could have, but I just couldn't. I'm sorry that I disappeared for so long," Kim apologized.

Ann put her arm around Kim's shoulder. "Sweetie, we know it wasn't your fault that you vanished. You don't have to apologize. It couldn't have been easy for you," she said while petting Kim's head.

"It wasn't…" Kim mumbled. It was horrible and she would rather not think about it. She just wanted to think about the future and the good things. She was with her family. She had Ron, Monique, and Wade back in her life. She had Shego. Everything was infinitely better than they had been not too long ago, even if she had to watch out for Global Justice and hostile vampires.

"It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready," James said while joining in the embrace.

Kim nodded and sighed. She was happy that her parents were as understanding as they were, but she did know that one day she was going to have to talk about. Her scars were not going to heal if she ignored them, after all.

They started in on their lunch, sitting quietly for a few minutes. The vampire gagged a few times on the sandwich, but managed to keep it down. Her parents noticed and looked at her to make sure that she was all right.

"I think I'm eating too fast," Kim said with a sheepish smile to explain away her near-vomiting.

"Calm down then. You know the food's not going to run off of the plate," Ann remarked.

"Knowing that you made it, it is possible," Kim quipped with a teasing smile.

Ann laughed a bit. They fell into their comfortable routine, discussing little matters and reminiscing about the past. Kim smiled through it all, even though part of her wanted to cry. She would never be anything like what her parents remembered her to be now that she was not human, she thought. They would not be able to make any more normal memories of her either because she was not normal anymore.

"Your brothers are going to come up this weekend. We're thinking about having a cookout or something for that. You'll come, won't you?" James asked Kim. They were now sitting in the living room with some photo albums open in front of them.

"Of course I will," Kim answered with a bright smile.

"Make sure you bring Shego too. Tell her that we want to get to know her," Ann implored her daughter.

"I will, Mom," Kim promised.

"I wish we knew why she doesn't come by. She doesn't think we're weird or something, does she?" the surgeon inquired with a slightly frightened expression on her face. She knew that some people took their family as, well, odd, and that was putting it kindly.

Kim chuckled a bit. "Of course not, Mom. Her brothers are ten times as weird as we are, after all. Besides, she used to hang out with Drakken. She just keeps letting all of house issues get in the way of her coming out. I'll make sure I bring her to the cookout, though."

Her parents smiled from the promise. The rest of the visit was quite normal. Kim left after eating dinner with her parents; she hoped the meal did not decide to make a return trip. They exchanged hugs and her parents understandably tried to keep her there longer, but she really wanted to get back to Shego.

She decided to walk, at least until she got out of Middleton. She enjoyed strolling around her former hometown, just taking in the sight, letting it wash over her. She had only run into a couple of people since returning from GJ imposed exile, but it made her feel light when those couple of people let her know how happy they were that she was not dead. She did express concern to them about keeping it quiet that they had seen her and so far that seemed to have worked. She was not sure what she was going to do if she was spotted by someone who could not keep a secret, and to be honest with herself, she really did not think about that.

She continued her wanderings, only to stop when something that she thought was peculiar caught her eye. There was a lone girl, who Kim doubted could have been any older than she was…well, than she was at the time that she ceased aging. The girl, who had blood red hair, was a little taller than Kim, and pale, sharp features, was waiting on the corner by a bus stop. She seemed oblivious to Kim's eye on her.

The former hero could not help staring at girl, who she almost instantly decided was quite beautiful. Her clothing highlighted her figure while also seeming to display her youth because of the style. She had on plain jeans and a snug tee-shirt, but the fact that they were covered in a certain little yellow cartoon bird with the caption "I taut I taw a puddy tat" seemed to sing her age.

Kim took slow, almost cautious steps toward the teen. The pale teen did not look in Kim's direction as the vampire got closer.

"A little late to be catching the bus, isn't it?" Kim asked casually as she stood slightly behind the other redhead.

The teen jumped slightly and turned to face Kim. The blood-redhead laughed a little, looking away as if she was shy. Her long, straight hair fell in her face, shielding her from the world for a moment, and she had to push it back behind her ears. Kim almost had to take a step back when she caught sight of the most striking blue eyes that she had ever witnessed.

"Couldn't I say the same to you?" the teen countered with a voice that seemed cotton soft and silky smooth. She looked at Kim with her head bowed down, giving off a coy look.

"I'm not out trying to catch a bus that's not going to show up," Kim replied with a small, teasing smile.

"Not going to show up?" the teen echoed in a confused tone, cocking her head to the side a little and looking quite adorable.

"The bus stops running at nine around here. You don't know that?" Kim asked.

"No. I'm new to town," the teen answered, shaking her head.

Kim nodded. "I would guess so."

"Are you from around here?"

"Well, I was born and raised in this town. I am trying to re-familiarize myself with everything because I just got back," Kim explained.

"You go to college out of town or something?" the teen inquired curiously.

"Or something. Look, how about I walk with you home? That way neither of us is out here alone," Kim remarked with a small smile. Something inside of her was telling her that her suggestion was actually a bad idea, but she did not listen. She wanted to be helpful; she wanted to be something like the old Kim.

"That would be nice. I'm Carmilla by the way," the teen introduced herself.

"Kim."

Carmilla smiled; it was almost a haunting expression that Kim seemed to ignore. The pair walked off, chatting about little things like weather and the town. Kim noted that Carmilla stood close to her as they walked, their arms occasionally touching each other. The blue-eyed teen smiled each time, enjoying the contact apparently.

Kim silently admitted that Carmilla was quite the affable young woman and liked the short amount of time that they were able to spend together talking about nothing. She felt normal, she noted. While she was with Carmilla, it was like she was normal. The time was much too short for her.

"Thank you for walking with me, Kim," Carmilla said in the smooth, gracious tone that she had used the whole time. Her voice carried an air of dignity that went with her walk and demeanor. It was almost as if she were royalty.

"No big. I had a good time talking with you," Kim replied.

"It was fun chatting, wasn't it? Perhaps we could get together tomorrow and do it again?" Carmilla requested in a hopeful voice. Her eyes seemed to shine while pleading with Kim to accept. She also lightly gripped on the former hero's shoulder; her hold begging for company.

"I don't know…" Kim answered while looking away, trying to get out of the snare of those ocean-colored eyes.

"Please? I don't have very many friends yet. I would love to get to know you better," Carmilla implored. Her voice sweet, but in a way that antifreeze was sweet.

"I'll see what I can do," Kim conceded.

"Then how about we meet here tomorrow around noon…if you can make it that is," Carmilla proposed.

"If I can make it," the eternal teen agreed.

Carmilla smiled so brightly from that response that the sun would have been put to shame if it were out. Kim could not help it; she smiled in return, which seemed to make Carmilla even happier. The blood-redhead clutched onto Kim's arm and offered her a slight hug. After that, they bid each other goodnight and Carmilla disappeared into the dark house a couple of yards from them. Kim continued on her way, deciding if she was going to meet Carmilla or not tomorrow.

"Shego would probably kill me if I did. But, then again, if she keeps acting the way she is, I might kill her first," Kim commented to herself. Before anything, she was going to have a very long talk with her soul-mate about coming on visits.

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Next time: Kim and Shego continue to have problems. Doctor Director is greeted by an unwanted visitor.


	2. Evolve

I don't own these characters; Disney owns them.

I don't own Carmilla.

This is the chapter that the story earns that "M" rating, so if you're offended by, you know, two women getting it on…frankly, I don't understand why you bothered to check the story out.

Happy Halloween!

2: Evolve

Shego was thumbing through a well-worn book, sitting on the edge of her bed in pajamas that consisted of a tight black tank-top and cutoff black sweat-shorts that barely went to the middle of her thigh. Her eyes were looking at the words, but her mind was miles away. It was late and Kim was not back yet. There were three possibilities for why that was, and all of them unsettled the super-powered woman.

The first possibility was the most likely and the least worrisome. Kim was probably just wandering around her old stumbling grounds, remembering the good old days. Kim engaged in that activity every now and then. There was nothing wrong with that, except that Shego did think that it would push Kim to wanting to go back to her old life as much as she possibly could.

The second possibility was that Kim finally decided that she was going to stay with her parents. That thought alone made Shego's heart contract harshly in her chest, and she felt like she was going to throw up. Her stomach actually lurched, like it was rejecting the small dinner she ate earlier. Kim staying with her parents would mean that Shego was going to be alone, maybe even for all eternity. It would mean that the person that she pretty much gave up her life for would leave her. She was certain that she would be nothing more than an empty shell if that happened, but she did take some solace in knowing that Kim would be all right and happy...a very, very small amount of solace.

The last possibility was the worst and it was split in three ways. Either Global Justice caught up with Kim, vampires caught up with Kim, or vampire hunters caught up with Kim. Either way, it meant that Kim was dead and never coming home. Shego could not even entertain that thought beyond Kim being captured because anything more led to her being seriously, physically ill.

"Come home, Princess," Shego silently prayed.

As the seconds ticked by, Shego's heartbeat became just a little more erratic. Her chest got a little tighter. Her lungs burned a little more for each breath. As the seconds turned to minutes, her throat got drier and her nerves jumped. She wanted to get up and move, go to Kim, but she did not know where to go.

"I won't keep my promise if she leaves me," Shego muttered, hoping the one bitter thought would right her system. Of course, it did not. She was certain that she would struggle to keep her promise to Kim no matter what happened. She was going to continue searching for how to return Kim to her human form, even if Kim decided to leave her.

A hollow laughed escaped her lips as she realized that she would go on trying to keep her promise, even if Kim left her. It would be the one thing that she had to go on. She ran one shaking hand through her hair.

"I'm wrapped around her little finger," she mumbled with a sorrowful smile on her face.

"Whose little finger might that be?" Kim purred as she formed from mist behind Shego. She returned to solid form embracing her soul-mate.

"Kimmie," Shego breathed, not in shock, but relief. Her body instantly relaxed under the vampire's hold, especially as Kim nuzzled her neck.

The redhead noticed how tense her lover had been, but she also noticed how quickly Shego relaxed. Kim smiled, happy with knowing that she could put Shego at ease with just her presence. But, she knew had a feeling that she might not be smiling for long if she could guess why Shego was so tightly wound.

"Don't tell me you stayed behind to get some studying in," Kim whispered, placing a few light kisses to Shego's creamy neck. She could feel Shego's pulse slow underneath her lips.

"One of the things I stayed behind to do. I fixed the pipes, so now all of the bathrooms on this end work, not just the one closest to us. If you want this place to be livable sometime this century, we have to put the work in," the older woman answered.

"Are you mad at me because I don't pull my weight around here?" Kim asked curiously. It would be something to explain why Shego always blew her off when she invited the former thief out. She could not think of any other reason for her lover to be upset with her.

"I'm not mad at you," the raven-haired female replied, trying to brush the whole matter off with a wave of her hand.

"Yes, you are. That's why you were so tense when I came in," the former hero pointed out. She remained cuddled into her love, even though she was certain that Shego was angry with her.

"Then why did I relax when you hugged me instead of getting pissed?" Shego countered, thinking that she had the argument there. For once, she was happy that she could easily admit the affect that Kim had on her now.

"You always relax when I hug you. Just like you always react when I kiss you…" Kim leaned into prove her point, forgetting that she was going to derail herself more than she would do with Shego.

Shego met Kim for the kiss, which started out as a peck on the lips, but grew more intense with every millisecond that passed. Shego was not surprised to feel Kim's tongue flick at her lips and she opened her mouth to welcome the visitor. Her own tongue met Kim's and they glided against each other. Moans quickly filled the air.

Shego abandoned her book, dropping it to the floor while turning around to feel Kim pressed against her front. She collected the petite vampire in her arms while Kim's hands found their way underneath Shego's shirt in a hurry. Kim hissed into Shego's mouth as she caressed smooth skin, as if it was her first time ever feeling the older woman.

Kim, always overeager, made short work of Shego's shirt, clawing her out of the garment; "death by Kimmie" was the most common way Shego's clothing met its end. The blood-drinker's hands immediately went to Shego's freed breasts, rubbing and kneading the flesh like it was bread. A loud, long moan escaped former villainess' mouth, which affected the eternal teen and caused her to add more pressure to get more noises from her lover.

Kim broke away from Shego's lips, licking the green-tinted chin on the way. The redhead dipped, going down to kiss and suckle at Shego's neck while her hands continued on attending to the former thief. Kim felt the rapid heartbeat under her mouth and could hear Shego's blood rushing through her body. The vampire smiled happily into the warm skin.

"Will you feed me tonight?" Kim requested in a low, seductive voice. She lapped at Shego's throat like an enchanted kitten. Apparently, she completely forgot that she was supposed to be somewhat upset with her soul-mate.

"Anything," Shego answered in a breath. Her hands were idle, just enjoying holding her lover to her to make sure that Kim did not get away…not that the younger woman was trying to go anywhere.

"Can I have you always and forever?" the vampire asked as her head went lower. She dragged her tongue over Shego's collarbone, enjoying the salty taste of her love's body as sweat began to build up.

"For as long as you want," the former thief replied.

The redhead's mouth seemed to float across Shego's body before finding one of its favorite perches. She attached herself to Shego, nipping at the swell of her right breast while the left was occupied by her hand. The ex-villainess hissed and then her hands decided that it was time to get busy.

Shego had no shame in shredding Kim's clothing to get her out of them; hey, if Kim did not want it to happen to her, then she should learn to stop doing it to Shego. The vampire did not complain and just leaned closer to Shego in order to feel skin against skin as her shirt fell away. They both hissed and groaned from the contact, feeling as if their bodies were igniting each other.

Kim eventually toppled Shego over onto the bed before the older woman could even get her out of her pants. The vampire did not seem to care about that, purring as she kissed and licked Shego's flesh as their bodies touched and their spirits connected. Shego was a little more affected by the move, though.

"Damn it, Pumpkin, we have got to get you some patience," Shego remarked, mostly because now she had to do more reaching to get the blood-drinker naked. And she needed Kim naked in a hurry, her pulsating body demanded it.

"We have to get you some speed," Kim teased before taking a particularly deep bite from her mate. No fangs were involved…yet.

Shego cried out while arching into the touch. Her hands started working just a little harder to get Kim out of her pants, tearing at the hems. Once Kim was free from the pants, Shego wasted no time kneading the flesh of the vampire's ass. Kim shamelessly ground her hips against whatever part of Shego that she could feel while continuing to suckle at the older woman.

Kim moaned loudly from the contact as she painted her lover's thigh with her desire. Shego moaned too, but she was about to voice a complaint based on the fact that Kim was just grinding against her, but the younger woman suddenly pressed her fingers against Shego's center. The redhead groaned in a low tone as she could feel how much Shego wanted her. Shego rolled her hips into the welcomed digits, silently begging for more. Kim wasted no time in giving her soul-mate just what she wished for.

The older woman's eyes closed and she shouted to the ceiling as Kim touched her, making her soul soar. Her arms wrapped around the redhead, keeping Kim pressed as close to her as their bodies would allow. Soon the passion-fueled fog began to lift from Shego's head and she was able to remember that her lover had needs too. Shego's hand eventually moved, so that she was touching Kim and returning the favor.

Kim purred against Shego's neck and she drove herself hard against her lover's touch. She could barely think as she and Shego united. Her body just screamed for more, for all of Shego. She wished that they could be connected forever.

Soon, grunts, groans, moans, and purrs filled the room along with the couple's own musk. Noisy kisses were exchanged and abandoned as mouths, lips, and tongues sought out other company before coming back together. They clung to each more and tried to feel as much of each other as they could.

Shego could feel herself coming closer to the edge and Kim sensed it with ease. As soon as the former thief took the plunge, Kim reacted. Kim bite down, fangs penetrating Shego's breast while Shego screamed to the ceiling, enjoying the explosion rippling through her entire being. Kim groaned in a low, satisfied tone into pale green skin as she drank and also drifted over the edge into the sweetest oblivion.

After several long seconds, Shego started to catch her breath and she looked down at the vampire feeding off of her. She moaned a little, watching Kim. There was something hot about watching Kim, but Shego was often left too weak to make anything of the hotness.

Kim pulled away a little and two tiny droplets of blood streamed into the valley of Shego's breasts. Kim ran her tongue along the area, making sure to lap up the straying liquid. She then rested her head on Shego's chest, sighing as she made herself comfortable, feeling quite spent for right now. Shego wrapped her arms around the vampire.

"You taste so good…" Kim whispered and she placed a wet kiss to Shego's already glistening chest.

"So you always say," Shego teased a bit while massaging the small of the vampire's back.

"Shego…" the redhead said and it was in a bit of a serious tone. She was not so spent that she totally forgot what she wished to discuss.

"Yes?" the older woman inquired, having a feeling that they were not going to bask in the afterglow for long.

"Why won't you come with me to visit my family? Everyone wants to get to know you better," Kim pointed out. Yes, she got sidetracked, but she did not totally forget what she wanted from her lover.

Shego was silent for a while. Go with Kim to see her family? So she could witness her only companion fall further and further away from her? So she could be there the moment that Kim decided that she was not going to come back? So she could hear the words and stand eye-to-eye when Kim informed her that she was going to stay with her parents or with Ron now? _No thank you._

"There's still a lot to do around here. Besides, you should get some time alone with everyone," Shego answered, hoping that end sentence would placate Kim and get her out of the conversation quickly.

"I don't want any more alone time with everyone. I want you to get to know them and want them to get to know you. Now, I know this place needs a lot of fixing and you might have some social problems considering the fact that we were locked away from the world for years, but I want you to get to know my family," Kim stated.

Shego was silent again. She wanted to believe that and she did consider that Kim might mean it, but her getting to know the vampire's family did not mean that Kim would not abandon her for them one day. She really did not want to see how happy Kim was with her family because that would make the strong possibility of Kim leaving all the more real for her. She just could not take seeing it with her own eyes, knowing that eventually the biggest news of her life was going to hit her like a bullet right between the eyes.

"Shego?" Kim said and she looked up at her soul-mate with concern in her olive eyes. "You don't like my family, do you?" she asked.

The green-skinned woman's face scrunched up. "That's not true. I mean, I don't even know anything about your family to not like them!" she pointed out. The last thing she wanted was for Kim to get the wrong idea and just leave sooner than she thought that vampire would.

"And you're never going to find anything out about them if you hide in here forever! Now, they want to get to know you and they're throwing a cookout over the weekend since my brothers are coming home for a couple of days. They want us to be there. I'm asking you right now, please, come with me," Kim requested.

Shego then uttered the words that everyone over the age of four knew was the kiss of death: "I'll think about it."

The weight of the sudden silence should have crushed both of them, they thought. Despite the tension, they fell asleep as they lay, Kim using Shego for a mattress and Shego embracing Kim like a cuddle toy. They got their usual few hours of sleep, very few, and then things started going awry, as far as Shego was concerned anyway.

Typically, Kim woke up in a very giving and hungry mood. Right now, she had the bad manners of wanting nothing more than to shower. Shego was left lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondering what the hell was the right way to handle this…_whatever_ that was happening. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was not going to figure things out until it was too late.

"I need to get myself together. I mean, this is Kimmie. She's not going to repay everything I did by just jumping ship on me, right? We've been though so much together, she wouldn't just leave me. She knows I don't have anyone but her. We mean everything to each other, right? What the hell am I thinking?

"This is her family, though. She's wanted to go back to them for years. She used to sneak off to just let them know that she was still alive and I would let her. She used to have nightmares about not being able to go back to them. Of course, she's going to leave me eventually," Shego muttered to herself. She did not know what the hell to think anymore.

Instead of waiting around to get into another "fight" with Kim, Shego tore herself away from the bed. She grabbed a handful of clothes and went to one of the many other, now-working bathrooms to take her own shower. She then went to find a project to keep her occupied and avoid her housemate for a little while until Kim was back to normal. She decided on finishing pulling up the floor on the main level of the lair.

Almost all of the floors in the lair were damaged to some degree. When the couple had first moved in, they agreed to put down new flooring, making sure that it looked more like a home than a diabolical lair. So far, Shego was the only one making the effort while Kim was just overjoyed to be able to see her family and friends whenever she wanted. Shego did not mind that she was not getting any help; after all, she was just using the lair as an excuse to avoid going out with Kim.

"I wonder what she would think of a tiled floor for out here," Shego muttered to herself while surveying her next project.

Despite all of Shego's worrying, her mind seemed to find it impossible to think about little things in her life without adding in Kim's input. So, while she had the underlying fear that Kim would leave, every time she thought about things surrounding their home, she wondered what Kim would like. She did not even realize that her mind never subconsciously accepted that Kim was going to leave her one day; her mind planned for forever with Kim.

Shego started on tearing up the pieces of the floor that were out in the main entrance. She was not sure how long she was there, but she was surprised when Kim strolled out. She did not think much of it, figuring that Kim was going to hang out with Monique; it was too late for her to fly to see Ron. Still, Shego's mouth moved before her brain, but her brain was glad with what her mouth said.

"Where are you going?" Shego asked curiously.

"To meet up with a friend," Kim answered, her body tense and her tone curt.

"A friend? Monique?" Shego guessed. She found it a bit odd that Kim had used the word "friend" instead of just saying the person's name.

"No, not Monique."

"Then who? Ron?" Shego pressed. Something was rotten in the state of Denmark, she thought.

"Not Ron."

"Then who the hell are you going to see? Wade?"

"Look, Shego, I need to get going before I'm late," Kim replied, some attitude creeping into her voice. She did not feel like explaining herself to someone who was pushing her away anyway.

"No, you're not going anywhere until you tell me who the hell it is you're meeting and where you're meeting them," Shego declared as she marched over to the vampire. She was not sure why, but it always seemed better to yell at someone face to face. It might have had something to do with her wanting to see their reaction right away or it might have had something to do with her trying to intimidate them to change the response to one she liked.

"What business is it of yours? You don't care about the people I hang out with anyway," the redhead snapped.

A frown cut across Shego's face as sharp as a razor. "I'm not even going to bother with that. Tell me who it is you're going to hang out with. You know you can't just go out and make new friends at the drop of a dime anymore, Princess. This person could be a fucking vampire for all you know."

"Let's excuse the fact that I'm about to meet her at twelve noon and say that she is a vampire. I've fought vampires before and I think I can take care of myself by now, so I don't need you babysitting me," Kim huffed, snorting at the end like an angry bull, as if that assisted her point.

"I'm just trying to look out for you!" Shego countered, anger making her eyes flare.

"Why? It's not like you care! I'm going to hang out with whoever I want, whenever I want!" the blood-drinker answered.

"Oh, yeah, you sound really mature right now," Shego remarked and she rolled her eyes.

For a moment, hurt was clearly visible on Kim's face, but Shego missed it because she was too busy rolling her eyes. The vampire hated being reminded that she stuck in her seventeen-year-old body. It was never going to fully mature. Everything about her physically was still seventeen and she would be damned if she was going to let Shego get away with implying that mentally she was still seventeen.

"Yeah, you don't seem to mind the age I'm stuck at when it involves you getting laid," Kim hissed.

Shego's eyes flashed with fury, but settled on glistening with worry. She made a tight fist and released it before speaking again. Her voice came out in a forced calm with anxiety and concern oozing from it. "Damn it, Pumpkin, don't be like this. I just don't want you to get hurt and you know that. Okay, she might not be a vampire, but she could be a hunter. Thanks to that bastard Lee, we do know that vampire hunters exist and that GJ isn't below hiring them to get rid of you. What if this 'friend' is actually a hunter?" she demanded to know.

"Then she wouldn't have invited me out at noon and she would have tried to kill me last night when we met. Carmilla is just a regular person who wants to get to know me and I want to get to know her," Kim stated soundly, her voice making it sound like everything was set in stone.

"Carmilla?" Shego echoed. The name sounded familiar to her brain.

"That's her name. Carmilla," Kim repeated.

Shego's frown turned into a scowl. "No, Kim, you can't go. I don't like this one bit." She shook her head, striking down the whole plan. Everything smelled wrong to her now and she wanted to err on the side of caution for her lover.

"I'm going. What don't you like about it? The fact that someone on the planet actually wants to spend time with me?" the redhead asked with venom in her tone.

"Kimmie, I just don't like this. Carmilla is the name of a vampire in a book written before Dracula. She was a particularly cruel vampire because she would make friends with the girls that she fed off of and then slowly kill them. She could walk around in the daylight," Shego explained in a calm voice, hoping that would help ease her mate's anger and get Kim to listen to her.

"Yeah, well, she can't feed off of me since I don't have any more blood in my system than she does if she is a vampire. Besides, that was just a story. You're fishing for excuses now. I'm going," the former hero declared.

"Kimmie, wait—!" Shego begged, but it was too late. Kim vanished into a puff of mist and was gone. "Damn it! I don't like this. I mean, it's entirely possible that Kim could have just met a human named 'Carmilla,' but, still, I just don't like this." Shego would prefer to err on the side of caution…like always when it came Kim.

Shego was not sure what to do. Kim was too upset with her to listen, which pissed her off because she was the person that had been looking out for Kim for some many years and now all of a sudden her opinion did not matter. She punched the nearest thing to her, which happened to be the wall, as she realized that arguing with Kim was only helping her worst nightmare come true.

"Not to mention, it puts Kim in danger because now she's just doing stupid shit to spite me," Shego commented to the air, completely failing to take notice of the hole that she put in the wall behind her.

She ran her hand through her thick raven mane and tried to think of how she was going to correct the problem…if there even was a problem. After all, it was possible that Carmilla was an average human girl that Kim hit it off with. Of course, that did leave Shego with a _different _problem: her growing fear that Kim was going to leave her sometime soon as she got more of a taste of normal living.

"Damn it," Shego muttered, unsure what else to say to express the gnawing feelings that were consuming her like slow-working acid.

--------------

Kim walked down the street that she was certain that Carmilla's house was on while trying not to think about the argument that she and Shego had. She sucked her teeth, thinking about how overprotective Shego was and the nerve of Shego telling her who she could spend time with when it was clear to her that the one person that she wanted to be around did not feel the same way anymore. Part of her even dared to think that Shego was pushing her away because Shego had plans to go back to her old life, maybe even be a super-villain considering there was the high probability that she was immortal now.

"But, Shego's changed. She wouldn't do that, right? But, then again, I never thought that she would try to ditch me once we got back to civilization either. She's acting weird. I mean, on one hand, it's like she's trying to get rid of me, but on the same end, it's like she's the same old Shego. I don't know what to make of all of this crap," Kim said to herself and then she shook the thoughts away as she saw Carmilla standing in the front of her yard, waiting.

"Kim, I'm so glad you came! I thought that you might have forgotten!" Carmilla grinned. It was such a bright expression, one that proclaimed that she was clearly overjoyed with Kim's presence alone.

The blood-redhead ran to meet Kim at the end of the walkway. She ran slowly, mostly because she was wearing slightly heeled shoes and it would do her no good to fall in front of her new friend. She continued smiling as she stood before Kim and casually placed her hand on Kim's shoulder. The vampire was taken in by the delighted look on the youth's face, so she did not notice the touch on her arm.

"I truly thought that you might have forgotten me," Carmilla repeated. Her smile never wavered.

"Why? Am I late?" Kim asked curiously. Time still did not have a meaning to her, especially now she since was not bound to wander in complete darkness. She and Shego went to bed whenever they were tired and woke up whenever they woke up. Where the sun was at those moments did not matter.

"No, you are not late. I just thought that it might have been my imagination last night that led me to believe someone like you would be friends and go somewhere with me. I'm happy that it was not my imagination and you are here," Carmilla explained with a little giggle.

Kim laughed. "Nope, definitely not your imagination. I'm hoping that we can be good friends."

"I'm sure we can. It's what we both want, after all. Come, let's go," Carmilla urged, wrapping her arm with Kim's and tugging the former hero down the street. Kim did not resist.

--------------

Doctor Director was sitting at her desk, taking care of some paperwork. She had been burying herself in work the past couple of months because she had been unable to sleep. She was in no mood to return home, which people had noticed, but she had not given any reasons. She was just trying to up her security before she decided to live in that house again. So, she spent most of her time at work. The good news was that all of her hard work had her in line for a promotion. The bad news was that she was starting to let all kinds of thoughts run through her mind from lack of sleep. Most of the thoughts ran like a review of her life when it came to a certain vampire and her cohort.

The first thing on her mind was that she was a coward, for a lot of reasons. She was scared to go home. She knew that plain and simple. Kim and Shego had broken into her home with such ease that she had no doubts that they could do it whenever they felt like it. She did not want to be there when they decided to do it again because she had seen Kim when she was in "vampire-mode." She had seen Kim forget her own humanity and she had seen Kim when humans started to look like lesser life-forms, like dinner. She did not want to be on the receiving end of that again. She did not want her end to come as someone's evening meal and in a bloody mess that would only be identifiable through DNA records.

But, of course, there was more than her own fear that made her a coward and she was only coming to that realization through all of her deep thinking. She realized that she had never given Kim a chance after finding out that the former hero was a true vampire. Shego brought Kim to GJ for help and Doctor Director never really offered that. She had given Kim to her scientists and allowed them to play with the vampire, never really searching for a cure, just enjoying a subject to study. Doctor Director never said anything about that; she just let the scientists do what they were doing.

Added to that was that she never recognized the change in Shego. She always thought that Shego was playing at some angle, trying to get away as always, but in truth, looking back on things, she could see how Shego took care of Kim, going so far as to feed Kim without thinking twice. She had been there more for Kim than anyone else in the world and she was Kim's sworn enemy. Doctor Director was supposed to be a friend and she had done nothing but wrong the vampire at every turn.

Now, she did understand why she acted the way that she did. Unlike Shego, Doctor Director had to worry about protecting the world. Once again, she had seen Kim in action when the forever-teen forgot that humans were people and it was not a pretty sight. She did not want to subject the world to that if Kim's mentality continued to evolve in such a way. She was the only thing between an unsuspecting world and a vampire that could do anything. She had to think about keeping the world safe.

"Still, I know there is more that I could have done," Doctor Director muttered to herself as she signed yet another document. She was barely even reading them now; she hoped that the laziness did not eventually come back to bite her in the ass. After all, she did like her job, even though it was causing her some regrets at the moment.

In regards to doing more for Kim, she knew that she could have sat down and discussed matters. No matter what, Kim was more than reasonable on issues, and always had been. She was an intelligent girl and if Doctor Director had bothered to think on it at the time, she would have realized that. Instead, she allowed fear to reign over her mind and good senses, fear that Kim was a threat to humanity, a threat that needed to be watched carefully.

"A threat that's disappeared off the face of the Earth," Doctor Director mumbled. "If I see another inquiry as to where Kim ran off to, I might have to eat it."

"Now, you shouldn't have to do that," a cool voice commented.

Doctor Director's head snapped up to see who was there. The headquarters was supposed to be empty as it was the end of the day for most people. The owner of the voice standing in her office was perched in a corner, hidden by shadows.

"Who are you?" the boss of GJ demanded to know with steel in her voice.

"You don't remember me?" the figure stepped out of the dark. "It's only been a couple of months since that vampire bitch tried to tear my heart out of my chest."

A frown cut across Doctor Director's face without her knowledge. Standing before her was the dhampir vampire hunter that she had hired not too long ago to go after Kim. When he did not return, she had assumed the young Lee had failed or had never really undertook the job as he claimed. From his sudden appearance, she was not sure what to think.

"What can I do for you, Lee?" Doctor Director inquired in a businesslike tone. She leaned back in her chair, making sure to keep her eye on him while looking like the boss that she was.

"You can tell me where that bitch vampire is and her whore," Lee answered in a bitter, seething tone. His nose flared just from thinking about those two and what he planned to do to them when he got his hands on them. He could still feel the ghosts of the wounds they had inflicted on him and he wanted to pay them back tenfold.

"I don't have that information," she reported in a smooth tone.

"You have some information," he demanded. His ice blue eyes were hard, as if he was not going to take anything but what he wanted for an answer.

"I don't have anything. Those files are locked away for people with the highest authorization codes. Believe it or not, I am not one of them," she stated, some edge in her voice.

"Then how do they expect you to catch her?" he inquired in a suspicious tone.

"They don't. I am no longer in charge of that case. I don't know who it was passed onto. You not having a boss, I doubt you know that when you do poorly in one task, it's usually assigned to someone that they think will do a better job. I don't know who they think would do a better job with this, though," she informed him.

"Tell me where you think she is."

"I haven't a clue. I don't really have the time to chase the vampire anymore. It's not my job," she pointed out.

"And all it was for you was a job?" His hard eyes blazed as if he was angry with her that it was just a job for her.

"Welcome to the real world."

"You should be out fighting against these abominations since you are capable of doing such rather than worrying about it being a job. This world is in the middle of a plague and the plague needs to be ended."

"Is that what you plan to do with Kim, end her?" Doctor Director asked, once again sounding very professional.

"That's what I plan to do to all vampires, but especially that unholy bitch and her demon whore. I will send them both back to Hell," Lee declared and he was gone just as suddenly as he appeared, believing that Doctor Director was of no use to him.

"He plans to kill Kim? Why do I feel like I'm against that plan? She threatened to kill me and scared me out of my home, yet I feel bad that he's going to kill her. She was once a trusted ally and she hasn't done anything wrong, but she is a threat to mankind. I'm almost certain that the world would be better off if Kim were dead…almost. All the work she's put in…" Doctor Director trailed off. She did not know what to think and arguing with herself was just confusing her.

She decided to put it out of her mind. Kim was not her business anymore and Lee was not her business. Even so, if those two things were true, then why did she tell Lee such convincing lies? She sighed as she unlocked the top drawer of her desk and fished out a file. She opened it and the first thing it was a picture of Kim and Shego; it was Kim's file.

-----(New day)

Ron was training in his family's private dojo, which was located on the same mountain as the Yamanouchi ninja school. Master Sensei wanted to keep Ron close to monitor his progress with the Lotus Blade as well as his mystical monkey powers. Ron did not mind; it was nice having a teacher a short walk away, even if Master Sensei could astro-project to anywhere in the world.

He went through his routine in the dark. His movements were fluid and powerful. His confidence was clear from his moves. The determined glint in his eyes had frightened off many opponents. He had long ago made a vow to himself that he never would be defenseless again; he never would allow someone close to him to be hurt. He would never allow what happened to Kim while he was right there happen in any way, shape, or form again.

On the day that Kim was snatched from him, Ron had grown up in an instant. The buffoon was gone and he knew after he ended up in the hospital that he _needed_ to get serious about his martial arts. Right after he graduated high school, which was a struggle in and of itself, he went to Yamanouchi and trained with all of his heart and soul, deciding that he would make Kim proud. Surprise, surprise, she was just that, not that he expected to see her again because he did think that Kim was killed by Adrian eventually. He was never so happy to be proved wrong in all of his days.

Suddenly, Ron stopped his movements. He focused to the left of him, looking out of the corner of his eye first and then turning completely. To most, it would appear as if he was staring into a dark corner in the room.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the blonde ninja demanded to know.

Lee stepped out from out of the shadows. "You knew the beast in her life as a human. Maybe you could tell me where to find her," he requested, coldness frosted to his voice even as he made a request.

"I don't know any beasts. I also don't like it when intruders sneak into my home," Ron replied. His fingers twitched, preparing to draw his sword if it was necessary.

"Tell me where the vampire is and I'll be on my way," Lee stated calmly.

Ron scoffed. "You believe in vampires?" His tone implied he was calling Lee an idiot in his mind, but he was not doing such a thing. He was already trying to figure out how someone else knew about Kim.

"As do you. I know you were the one that reported Kim being bitten by a vampire and now she is one. And you will tell me how to find her," Lee ordered. He pointed a threatening, gloved finger at the blonde.

"Let's assume I did know where to find Kim and then let's assume that you researched enough to know I used to be her sidekick. In fact, let's go so far to assume that you know she and I grew up together. Now, assuming all of that, do you really think I'm going to sell her out to some strange bastard that slinking around my home like some snake?" Ron demanded to know.

"I can force you to tell me," Lee answered.

"Try me," Ron dared the stranger as he drew his blade. He wondered if the strange fellow was the reason that Kim was so secretive about where she was staying…not that she was secretive about being on the street, he noted some time ago. She explained that by saying that she did not want to be a prisoner in her own home.

Lee growled; how foolish these humans were, to stand up for a mere beast, a filthy, flesh-eating vampire! He was about to reach into his jacket, but he noticed a strange blue aura surrounding the ninja. He withdrew his hand and slinked back into the shadows. He was gone before Ron realized what happened.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ron wondered…and then he realized that he needed to warn Kim that someone was looking for her.

--------------

Next time: Shego and Kim continue on their road to self-destruction while Doctor Director debates with herself. Ron gets in touch with Shego about his late-night visitor while Lee is still on the hunt for Kim. Who will get to the vampire first?


	3. Resolve

I don't own these characters; Disney does.

I don't own Carmilla.

3: Resolve

Shego was back to wrestling with the floor. She had managed to pull most of it up and had decided that she was tiling the floor, and she hoped to God that Kim hated the new tiling. She just wanted to piss the vampire off in someway. Right now, this was the best that she could do without outright cursing her lover out. The latter idea had never even crossed her mind.

She growled as she pulled up more of the damaged panels and had to fight the urge to melt them in her hands. She felt like if someone said something to her, she would tear the person's head off, no matter how innocent the remark. It was a good thing the one person that she lived with was not talking to her right now.

Shego and Kim were playing "Who'll Talk First." In other words, they were waiting for the other to crack and start some dialogue. So far, neither of them had said anything to each other since Kim came in a few hours ago from visiting with Monique and hanging out with Carmilla. A few hours might not seem like a lot to most people, and most would also probably think that amount of time was nothing to a pair of probably-immortals; but, for Kim and Shego, to be not talking to each other for a few hours was like a married couple not speaking to each other for years while continuing to live under the same roof.

Kim was busying herself by practicing in their gym while Shego was taking her frustration out on the floor. Both were wondering what the hell the other's problem was and why things seemed to be falling apart between them. The thing was that neither of them had been pushed the point of just asking.

Just asking seemed like the hardest thing in the world for them because they both felt like they knew each other better than they knew themselves. They should be able to just _know_ what the other's needs were, so each could go about fixing any and all problems in the other's life. It worked in the past, so they could not see why it would not hold true in the present and in the future. They failed to recognize that their situation and circumstances had changed, so what held true in the past would not always be so where they were now.

Shego remained focused on her floor until she noticed Kim out of the corner of her eye. Kim was headed for the door. The redhead was not sure why she went that way; maybe it was because she knew it would force Shego to speak. There was just no way that Shego would ever let her leave anywhere without finding out where she was going…unless of course they were truly over and Shego honestly did not want to suffer her presence anymore.

Kim subconsciously held her breath as she approached the door. Every second of silence felt like an eternity. She could feel every fiber of her being burning from the heat of Shego's gaze and the intense quiet of the air. Her heart started to sink as if it was the Titanic and Shego was the iceberg. _Was Shego really just going to let her walk out of that door? Nothing said?_

"Where you going?" Shego asked, her voice a strange mix of worry, sorrow, indifference, and anger. As she spoke, she considered looking back at the floor, but instead, she kept her eyes locked on her companion. It was Kim that looked away, focusing ahead of her, at the door.

"Hanging out with Carmilla," Kim answered in a similar tone.

"You've been hanging out with her a lot these last few days," Shego noted, bitterness and suspicions seeping out of her mouth.

"Well, she's pretty fun. We're going to the movies tonight. You could come if you want," Kim proposed. Her heart pled with Shego to accept. She wanted to hang out with the older woman and they would be able to live normal lives together.

"And break up your little date?" Shego teased, but it was a shadow of what she usually would do. A little voice in the back of her head screamed at her and demanded that she stop being a stubborn ass and just go. She, of course, ignored the voice.

"No, you'd rather stay and continue to kill the floor," Kim replied, biting back all of the bitterness and anger that she was feeling at the moment. Why the hell was she not the center of Shego's universe anymore, her heart cried. Shego certainly was the center of hers, after all.

"Well…" Shego glanced down at her work. "It is a lot of work and we do want this place to be livable sometime soon." If only that was the real reason that she did not want to go.

"Of course," Kim practically hissed. A frightful sneer tore through her face for a long moment. "Well, I don't want to miss the movie."

"Of course not," Shego muttered. She was pretty sure that she could not feel any worse if she tried.

Kim walked out, trying to make it her usual powerful stroll, but really, she looked defeated. Shego did not want to go anywhere with her anymore from what she could tell; not only did she refuse to visit with Kim when she went to her parents or close friends, but she would not go out period. She had invited Shego out with her and Carmilla plenty of times, but Shego always declined. She could not help wondering why.

Shego watched Kim go, feeling like she was always watching Kim walk away every time she used the door now. It felt like she could only see Kim's back, as if things had always been that way, even though she knew that was not the case. Her throat seized up on her, even though she was not planning to cry out; her brain and heart might have had other ideas.

Kim refused to turn around, even though she longed to see if Shego was watching her as it felt like she was. She yearned to turn and beg why, but her neck was intent on facing forward. Her eyes could only see ahead of her…where there was no Shego.

Words always seemed to fail now. Green eyes misted over, as it felt like an end was near. It felt almost like it was time for mourning and they were cast in darkness once again. Loneliness, rejection, and emptiness had to be Hell.

--------------

"Kimmie!" Carmilla grinned joyously as Kim walked up to the movie theater. The blood-redhead wasted no time moving over to the former hero and embracing her. Kim did not say anything, nor did she really mind. She had noticed almost from the first day that Carmilla was both highly excitable and very touchy. It was nice to be touched and to evoke positive emotions from someone.

"Hi. I'm not late, am I?" Kim asked curiously as she returned the hug. She considered that she might have to start wearing a watch now that she was somewhat dwelling in the real world again.

"No, you're not late. You're right on time. I'm glad you came," Carmilla said while wrapping both of her arms around one of Kim's powerful limbs.

"You always say so. It's like you have little faith in my showing up," Kim teased with a smile of her own as they got in line for the movies.

"I just always think that there might be someone just a little more important than me that you meet up with and you'll ditch me for them. But, I'm also always so happy to be around you that no matter what I'm glad that you show up," Carmilla explained.

Kim nodded and smiled again. She had not known Carmilla more than a few days, but felt like they were old friends. It was mostly due to Carmilla's energy and just overall delight whenever she was around Kim. Kim found that it was Carmilla's energy and not her looks that really made her seem younger than she was.

Carmilla was nineteen from what Kim understood, but sometimes the way that she acted made her seem like she was still as young as fifteen or fourteen because of how she clung to Kim. Of course, there were times that she seemed even younger than that, like she was five or six. The way that little things just seemed to please her and how she always seemed genuinely happy with just being near Kim. It eased away some of the loneliness that was threatening to overcome and conquer Kim.

"I haven't been to the movies in a long time," the olive-eyed vampire commented. Hell, she did not even know what was playing. She had only just gotten into watching real television again and not just cartoons.

"Well, I hope this movie is good just so you have a good experience after not going for so long," Carmilla remarked with her usual, delighted smile.

"Thanks, but I'm sure I'll have a good time since I'm out with you. I mean, it's never a dull moment when you're around," Kim said.

"I hope you mean that in a good way," Carmilla teased while bumping Kim gently with her hip. Kim just laughed.

--------------

Betty Director leaned back in her chair, staring at a file that mocked and taunted her. It was Kim's file; it had been on her desk since Lee's visit a few days ago. She had read through it and reminded herself of just what Kim was now. Kim was a threat to humanity, Kim was a predator, and Kim was a monster…or so that was what the file led her to believe.

She then thought about the Kim Possible that she knew, not to mention the Kim Possible that she failed. She remembered all those years ago when Ron Stoppable contacted Global Justice, crying and wailing about Kim being taken away by a vampire. They had gone looking for her of course; she was missing, after all. They just had not believed that Kim was carried away by a vampire, and by the time that they found out, it was much too late for the former hero.

Adding insult to injury for all of the heroes involved—all the supposed "good guys"—was that Shego, Kim's bitter enemy, had saved her. Shego was the one to look out for Kim without asking for a reward. Shego was the one that there for Kim.

Doctor Director still could not understand Shego's motivation for going to rescue Kim or why Shego thought to bring Kim to GJ at the expense of her own freedom for help. It was a complete mystery to her and the only explanations that she could come up with were half-assed theories that did not make any sense to her if she let it dwell on her mind. The reasons did not even matter; the fact of the matter was that Shego had done something that Global Justice should have done, especially after Ron came to them begging for assistance.

Guilt gnawed at her like a half-starved, crazed rat as she thought about Ron, bawling and pleading with her to help Kim and how she dismissed his words as cowardly ranting. She thought that Kim and Ron had managed to come across someone that was too much for them to handle and Ron was having trouble coping with the fact that Kim actually lost a fight.

Looking back on it, Doctor Director thought maybe she was allowing a little arrogance to cloud her judgment, being cocky and brushing Ron aside as if his words were worth as much as a tale from a five-year-old. She thought with no small amount of bravado that she and her organization would go save Kim from some evil man or woman, and thereby gain some status as being the saviors of the great Kim Possible.

"How foolish," the one-eyed woman cursed herself.

She knew in her heart that if things were the other way around, yes, Kim would have some arrogance about it because that was the way that she was, but Kim would have done the job to the best of her ability. Kim might have thought the story was ridiculous, but she would have still put her heart into it. Kim would have gotten the job done.

"That was the way that she was," Doctor Director said to the air. Kim put her all into everything, never wanting to come away from a situation without being able to say that she did her best.

Allowing her mind to continue along the path of its choosing, the director of Global Justice thought about the years that Kim and Shego had served her organization. It was at a time that Kim was a vampire and struggling those first few years with her nature as well as respecting human life. Through at all, Kim had never harmed anyone more than necessary; those were usually bad guys or a little collateral damage in catching the bad guys. She certainly never killed anyone as Global Justice was worried she would, even in her worst fits. Of course, Shego had been there just in case.

Shego being there was the real kick in the teeth as Doctor Director thought about things. How had she fallen so low that she was letting Shego do the right thing? She did not even want to think about that aspect of things or she was almost sure that she would walk out and resign her post from disgust with herself.

"If I'm this pissed just from thinking about things, I know what I have to do. After all, I'm the one that put Lee on Kim's trail in the first place. Besides, who is he to decide who has a right to live or die?" she asked herself, ignoring the hypocrisy of her question.

Feeling her resolve rise from the pit of self-loathing that she had going, she turned her computer on. She decided to get into contact with Kim the only way that she figured would work; she got touch with Wade. Well, she sent him an email anyway. It was up to him to respond to her. She hoped her message got his attention.

She was taken from her thoughts as her telephone rang. "Doctor Director," she answered.

"What's this about Kim's life being in danger?" a semi-familiar voice demanded to know.

"Wade?" she guessed. She could not really place his voice. It sounded way too deep, but then again, the last time that she had spoken with him, he was eleven. She figured that he was about eighteen or so now.

"What's this about Kim's life being in danger?" Wade repeated, sounding impatient. He was not in the mood to talk to Doctor Director, not after the way that she had dismissed Ron so many years ago. Yes, he had thought Ron was a little hysterical when talking about being attacked by a vampire, but he did not think that Ron was completely insane, childish, or mistaken in what he witnessed. Thanks to GJ's dismissal of Ron, Kim was lost to the world for almost a decade. So, he felt that he had a right to be a little bit bitter.

"There's a man after her that wants to kill her," Doctor Director answered and only after the words exited her mouth did she realize how lame they sounded. It was not so farfetched that there was a man after Kim that wanted to kill her, not now and not in the past.

"It isn't the first time and it probably won't be the last time. Kim can handle herself and she's got friends in case she can't," Wade replied dully. He was ready to end the call, but he wanted to be sure that it was nothing to worry over. The last thing he wanted was to lose Kim again.

"This man is specially equipped to hunt her," Doctor Director stated in a hiss. She hoped that he understood her meaning. She was not sure if he knew about what Kim was now or not.

"And? I'm sure she could make short work of him," Wade retorted. Despite his concern, he just could not bring himself to respect the one-eyed woman's opinion or words anymore. Not after everything that she did, everything that she messed up, everything that she cost him, Ron, the Possibles, and the world.

"Look, Wade, I'm going to say that if you understand Kim's nature then you need to understand the nature of the man hunting her. I've looked into this man and he's nothing like she's ever faced. He can kill her," the one-eyed woman insisted.

"And what? I'm supposed to just give you her address so you can knock on her door to warn her?" Wade inquired, rolling his eyes, even though she could not see him do it. He did not know everything going on in Kim's life, but he knew that she was not in the mood to see or hear anything from Global Justice.

"Damn it, Wade! I'm trying to help!" she huffed. She could not believe that she was jerked around by a fucking teenager.

"Oh, like you tried to help seven years ago! It was your fucking playing around and bellowing that fucked this whole thing up in the first place! If you would've taken Ron seriously, you might've been able to save Kim right away!" Wade barked. He wanted that off of his chest for a while.

"Well, I'm trying to fucking save her now! I know I've fucked up in the past and I'm trying to make up for it! So, give me a fucking break!" Doctor Director snarled and almost slammed the phone down. She stopped herself just in time and put the phone back to her ear to hear his response.

"She doesn't need you," Wade answered and he hung up the phone. He would get in touch with Kim and Shego and warn them, he figured. Just in case.

Doctor Director growled and tried to call him back, but Wade's technical skills only seemed to have gotten better as he aged. She was unable to get in touch with him through phone and when she tried to email him, she found out that the email address no longer existed. Damn, the kid was thorough.

"Well, I'm not helpless. This just would've been the fastest way to go about things. I have to try to do something. I can't fail Kim again, no matter what she's said or done to me. She really does have a reason to feel that way without the fact that she sometimes thinks little of humans. I mean, it's not like I've endeared myself to her over these years," she muttered to herself.

The leader of GJ shook those thoughts away. Now was not the time for thoughts of self-loathing, thoughts on what she should have done better, or if Kim had the right to hate her. Right now was about saving the little vampire from the blood-thirsty vampire hunter.

She knew about Lee, having investigated him thoroughly before and after she sent him after Kim. From what she understood, he had not met a vampire that he could not—and would not—kill. He would track his prey to the ends of the Earth if necessary and at the moment Kim was his prey.

"Okay, Director, get your ass in gear," she ordered herself as she ripped herself away from her desk. She had to do something right for once when it came to Kim, she told herself.

--------------

Ron huffed as he sneaked back into Kim and Shego's home. The first time had been so much easier; they had not been expecting him and they had not thought that anyone could get past their security. Now, thanks to his first adventure, he was almost killed getting in. They had added more defenses and upgraded everything that was there before. He was starting to get the feeling that he was not wanted, he thought to amuse himself and take his mind off of counting how many times he had nearly lost his head while trying to get to his best friend. He was starting to regret not saying goodbye to his family before leaving home, but he did make it into the damn lair with all of his body parts intact.

"The hell kind of insanity did these guys install?" Ron muttered to himself as he dusted his dark blue ninja outfit off. He even had to pat out a small fire burning against the outside of his thigh. He hoped that something important had not been scorched; he had plans for more children, after all.

"The kind meant to keep you out," Shego answered curtly, which got the blonde to lift his head. He saw that she was barely a yard from him.

"Don't you guys answer your phones? I've been trying to call you for a few days now! First off, it was a damn pain trying to figure out how the hell to call you! Wade was at for hours! Only for you guys to never answer and I really needed to talk to you, so I had to go with plan B. It's not easy getting to America on short notice from Japan when you can't tell people 'I need to go see a vampire,'" Ron remarked with a bit of a sneer. Apparently, almost being killed to see his best friend did not agree with his usually cheery disposition.

"Call?" Shego echoed with a puzzled expression. Why the hell had he been calling? Her paranoia rose from the pit of her stomach to the roots of her hair. Was he going to be the one take Kim from her?

"Yeah, call! This dude came to my house, wanting information on Kim," Ron stated, as if those words themselves were supposed to explain everything.

Shego's face twisted in confusion. "A dude came to your house asking about Kimmie?"

"Yes! I was trying to get in touch with you guys since he disappeared into the fucking shadows! I didn't get a good feel from him and he really scared the shit out of me with the way he sneaked into my fucking home right under my damn nose!" the blonde raged, arms moving in all directions as he spoke. He looked like he was ready to pull out his own hair.

"Wait, wait, wait! Calm down, Ron. Focus and explain to me exactly what the fuck happened," Shego ordered as she stepped closer to him. She put her hand on his shoulder, hoping that it would help settle the ninja.

Ron did take a moment and breathed a few calming breaths. He focused on the floor just to keep his mind from reeling. After some long seconds, he turned his attention to Shego, feeling like he could explain himself in a manner that made sense now.

"Okay, a few days ago while I was training, a man just seemed to come out of nowhere, breaking into my well guarded home, making it past myself and my wife, who is really a better ninja than I could ever be. He made it into our house without alerting either of us. From that alone, I know this guy is serious business, but then he started asking about Kim. As soon as he started asking about her, I got even worse vibes from him and started to flare my own aura, hoping it would scare him off. He didn't leave until I was reaching for my sword and even then, I'm not sure he ran off because I scared him," Ron explained.

Shego took in his words and rolled them around in her head. She wondered if it was a vampire that was looking for Kim. They had not had a run in with the annoying leeches since the night of the Philosopher Stone. They also had not seen Lee since that night either.

"Ron, what the hell did this guy look like?" Shego demanded to know.

"Uh…" Ron had to pause and search his mind for a moment. He had honed his observational skills over the years, but it would seem that it flew out of the window for a little while when it came to his best buddy. "He was an Asian guy. I'd bet Chinese, but I doubt he was completely Asian because he had blue eyes. He was dressed in leather—"

Shego cut him off. "Fuck! That's fucking Lee. He's a fucking vampire hunter!" Her whole body tensed as she thought about Lee, hunting her beloved, slaying her beloved. She would sooner kill the bastard than let that happen!

"Vampire hunter? Like hunting Kim?" Ron demanded to know.

"Yes, hunting Kim, goddamn it!" Shego tore away from the ninja and started pacing the floor. _What the fuck was she going to do? Where the fuck was he? Was he close to Kim? Shit, Ron did say Lee had been with him a few days ago! The bastard could be killing Kim right now! _

"So, where the hell is Kim?" Ron asked one of the many questions ripping through Shego's mind.

Shego then uttered words that she never thought would leave her mouth in regards to her little vampire. "I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know?! You're supposed to be looking out for Kim! I trusted you with her!" Ron roared and he took a step toward her as if he was going to charge her.

"Don't fucking start," Shego warned him in a dead serious tone that stopped him dead in his tracks. "I've been with her through this shit longer than anybody and I've been taking care of her! So, don't fucking start. She's grown, though, like you. She wants to start having a life again and I'm not her fucking babysitter."

"So, what do we do?" Ron asked in a low tone, eyes focused on the floor again to hide the shame that he was feeling.

"We find her before he does. We keep odd hours, so I don't know when she'll be home. We know her better than any other two people in the world, so I think that we should be able to find her," Shego reasoned. They had to find Kim. If Lee was still alive after what Kim had done to him, then he was a lot tougher than he looked and she did not want to give him the chance to test his power against her vampire.

--------------

Lee was close; he could just feel it. He was wandering around a little burg that he could not remember the name of, nor did he care to remember the name of it. He just knew that he was close to Kim and thought it was funny because even though he could not remember the name of the town, he knew that it was where Kim was from…when she was human anyway.

"Is she trying to reclaim her humanity, trying to find peace in a life that's gone? It will never happen, but I'll give her the peace that vampires deserve," Lee growled to himself as he walked at a deliberate pace.

He made his way to a normal block and stood in front of a normal ranch-style home. His brow wrinkled in confusion as he looked around, but he decided to shake that away. He marched into the yard, looked around, circled the house, and spied the owners.

The Possible couple was moving about the kitchen. Ann was working on a late lunch while James was setting the table. They did not hear a thing out of the ordinary, which would explain why they jumped when they heard a sinister voice addressing them.

"Where is the beast?" Lee demanded to know.

The homeowners' eyes shot over to the corner where Lee was standing. Their faces showed surprise for a moment before returning to normal. Lee frowned; the Possibles were way too calm in his opinion. _Why did it seem like something was strange with everyone that was in Kim's life before she was turned into a beast? _

"I want the beast. Now tell me where she is," Lee stated, keeping his own composure. He was close; he could feel it.

"I don't know who you are or what you're talking about, but there is no beast here and I would advise you to leave," James ordered.

"Where is she?" Lee demanded once again.

"I think you need to leave," James stated in a stronger tone. He stepped forward, wanting to get between his wife and Lee, just in case the leather-clad intruder meant harm.

Lee growled; he could feel it in his gut that they were protecting the beast. He was not about to let them wiggle out of things as previous leads had done. He could tell that these people knew just where he would be able to find that damned creature and he was not about to let the opportunity pass.

"Tell me," Lee snarled as he reached into his long jacket, pulling out a shining sliver combat knife.

James gulped and made sure that he was standing in front of Ann. His body tensed and he calculated how long it would take him to grab a kitchen knife to hold off the intruder with the hope that Ann would at least get away. But, then again, with the way Ann was tensing against his back, he had a feeling she was doing the same thing as he was—knowing her, all the while also adding to the equation how quickly she could sever his carotid.

"I thought I smelled the stench of trash," Kim hissed, shocking everyone in the kitchen.

"Kim!" the doctors Possible shouted. They had not even heard her come in. Little did they know, but that was by design, considering the fact that she sneaked in through an open window as a cloud of mist.

"Beast," Lee snarled, attention going directly to the vampire.

--------------

Next time: Epic battle? Of course!


	4. Evoke

I don't own these characters; Disney owns most of them. I own Lee, but I don't own Carmilla.

4: Evoke

Kim had been out with Carmilla earlier in the day, sitting in the park and watching the lake. It was a soothing scene and put Kim at peace for most of the day. She did not even notice the way Carmilla had been leaning on her, mostly because Carmilla was always touching her in someway, so it was rather normal after spending so much time together. After leaving Carmilla's company due to Carmilla feeling a little weak and needing rest, Kim decided to check on her parents since the house was not too far from where Carmilla lived.

The vampire had not been pleased with the vibe that she got from the house as she approached. A growl had escaped her lips as she went to the house, feeling in her bones something was seriously wrong. Because of that, she decided that it would be best to sneak into the house rather than walk right in. Her nose picked what the problem was before she went in and her mind almost snapped, realizing that Lee was still alive and inside the kitchen with her parents. _That bastard had better not touch her mother and father!_

She managed to hang onto some piece of herself, knowing that it would not bode well for her to forget herself in front of her parents. She slipped inside through a window, coming in as a mist. She once again had to hang on to the pieces of her shattering mind as she saw Lee brandishing a knife in the direction of the good doctors. A roar wanted to escape Kim's mouth as she remembered what Lee had done to the last human that she was close with, how he had come close to taking the most important person in her life from her.

Her fingers twitched, remembering the feel of his blood on her claws. She wanted nothing more than to drive her hand through his chest again, but she held off. She needed to be cautious to make sure that her parents were not injured because of her actions.

Lee's eyes flashed with cold fire as he laid eyes on the vampire. His grip on his sliver blade tightened and he seemed ready to just lunge at her, but something was preventing him from doing so. Something was seriously wrong and he knew that for a fact.

"How do you walk in the day, beast?" Lee demanded to know, speaking directly to Kim. It was as if he totally forgot that her parents were standing right there.

"What do you think you're doing in here?" Kim countered, hands flexed, ready to claw Lee to shreds.

"Hunting you. I won't let you walk this globe, feeding off the living. Now, tell me, how the hell it is you walk around in the sun!" Lee demanded once again, his features twisting in a maddening rage.

"I don't owe you any explanations for anything! Now, what the hell are you doing here? Pointing that thing at my fucking parents?" Kim countered, an animalistic snarl tugging at her lips and her mind demanded that she do unspeakable things to this bastard that intruded on her parents and apparently meant to harm them to get to her.

"I don't know what sort of dark magic you're using to walk around in the sun now, but I don't let it go. I won't let you walk this globe as you please, taking lives, feeding off the living as if they were livestock," he declared in a malicious tone. He decided that how she was walking around in the light was irrelevant as long as he ended her right then and there.

"I'm very much alive in my own right, so you don't have any say in how I walk the globe. Now, step away from my parents before I finish what you started," Kim commanded, a fang flashing as she spoke. Her nature was starting to boil over, angered by the gall of the pathetic half-breed that dared to threaten what was hers.

"These are not your parents. You forfeited them the night you lost your humanity," Lee informed her.

Kim growled; that night was not a pleasant memory for her. Dying was not something that she wanted to recall and the fact that he spoke on it as if he was there, as if she chose to be killed and reborn, sickened her. He did not know her and the way that he pretended that he did was just plain disgusting.

"Don't talk like you know a damn thing about anything. Now, step away from my parents," she ordered again. Her tense fingers twitched, wanting to plunge right into Lee's chest.

"I'm not here for your former parents. I'm here for you, monster," Lee reminded the vampire. His ice blue eyes locked on her, frozen, telling her exactly who he wanted and what he wanted to do. But, she knew that he had not below going after humans, even if he wanted to pretend otherwise.

"Kim, what does this man want?" Ann inquired, and she used the term "man" loosely because he was acting like a crazed animal in her opinion.

"Mom, Dad, leave right now. Lee's dangerous," Kim replied without taking her eyes off of him. She was not about to let him catch her parents the way that he caught Shego. After all, they could not take the damage like Shego had been able to.

"They're not going anywhere. It's you that needs to leave—this world," Lee declared as his nerves jumped underneath his skin, demanding the cursed blood of his enemy. He dared not move yet; an unknown force seemed to hold him back. Fear, maybe?

"Mom, Dad," Kim said again, her voice little more than a snarl now. She wanted them out of sight, so she would be able to tear Lee limb from limb for his audacity to enter her parents' home, hold them at knife point, and mean them any harm, all without having her parents witness what she was capable of.

"What is it, beast? You don't want them to see how you surrendered your humanity in return for an immortal's kiss?" Lee asked, sounding almost smug about it.

His words touched a whole new outrage in the vampire. He seemed to think that she wanted the change that she undergone. He was acting like he knew what she had gone through. _Was that what he did with other vampires? Did he just assume everyone welcomed becoming an undead creature of the night that fed on what they used to be? Did he think that justified killing vampires no matter who they were?_

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I didn't ask for this, so don't act like you know anything about it!" Kim roared, a vein bulging from her neck from her anger toward him.

"You embrace it now. If you didn't, you would have finished yourself off a long time ago," Lee countered. Kim's eyes narrowed thanks to his dubious logic.

"Kimmie, what's he talking about?" Ann inquired curiously.

"Just leave now, you guys. I'll explain it all later, but right now, I need you to leave. This man is dangerous. He almost killed Shego not too long ago," Kim informed them, hoping that would get them to move now.

Those words seemed to get her parents' attention. They watched Lee as they started to slowly inch their way to the door. Lee did not seem to care about where they were going and kept his eyes locked on Kim. The doctors made it to the door, but they did not leave.

"Mom, Dad, I'll be fine! Just make sure you get to safety," Kim told them, knowing that they ceased moving out of concern for her.

"Kim, be careful," James said. He was not sure what else to say. He could see that his daughter was not going to back down, and he doubted that she could just run from Lee anyway. They had a score to settle and all Kim's parents could do was hope that Kim came out on top.

Kim nodded, and her parents finally exited the kitchen. The vampire and dhampire did not move, though. They eyed each other, both looking like a predator that had cornered its prey. Kim's flexed hand twitched while Lee's knuckles turned white from his grip on his combat knife. Snarls tugged at lips and growls echoed off of the tiled walls.

"Now, tell me, how the hell are you walking around in the day light?" Lee demanded to know once again. _Was it some vampire trick? Magic? Evolution?_ He could not figure it out, but he wanted to know in case he ran into again and he would be able to come up with a plan against it.

"You tell me what the hell were you doing holding my parents at knife point? I thought you only hunted vampires, yet you're in here endangering human lives that you pretend to care about," Kim pointed out.

"Like you care. You're just going to end up eating them sooner or later," Lee countered.

"Don't assume how my life is going to go. Now, this could go easy or hard. You could leave and do whatever it is you do with your life or I could end you right here like I wanted to do that first time we met," the redhead informed him. She knew and wanted him to go with that second option. She wanted his blood for what he did to Shego and the fact that he had just been terrorizing her parents.

"I think we both know how this well end, beast. Now, tell me how you walk around in the day light," Lee ordered.

"Come and make me," she dared him, showing her fangs fully now. Having fought him once, she was more than confident in her ability to defeat him again, even though her first victory was driven more by instinct and rage than pure ability.

Lee decided to take her up on that; he would find out why she could walk around in the sun later. He marched over to her with determination in his step and a death-grip on his weapon. Kim's muscles tensed and she countered Lee as soon as he attacked.

The dhampire tried to plant his knife in Kim with force that would have brought down a lot of vampires, but he knew that Kim was another story. As he attempted to bring the blade in from below, Kim caught his arm. She snarled and crushed his forearm with her forceful grip. Lee did not seem to notice as he did not even grunt from the power holding him.

The vampire-hunter wasted no time doing his own counter. He punched Kim with his free hand, knocking her right on the chin. She was thrown off balance, falling back thanks to his strength. Lee came in with his knife ready, planning to stab Kim in the heart with his silver blade and end yet another blood-drinker. Of course, Kim was not going to let things go so smoothly for him.

Kim hissed and dipped out of the way before Lee could get her. She turned into a kick, catching him in the ribs. He growled as pain coursed through his body; damn her and her martial arts' ability, he thought.

--------------

"I still can't believe you don't know where Kim is. I mean, who just lets a vampire wander around knowing the people are hunting for her?" Ron griped as he followed Shego around Middleton.

"Look, I told you, she's an adult. She does what she wants. Do you know where your wife is twenty-four seven?" Shego countered with a deep growl. Her face was tense and tight to the point it look like her forehead might split open.

Ron was silenced by that one, but he had not been staying silent for long that day. Shego knew that his annoying pattern of going back to her losing track of Kim came from the fact that he was worried about Kim, but Shego was sick of hearing about it. He was making it seem like she misplaced car keys instead of accepting that Kim was a grown woman with a life of her own and allowed to go wherever the hell she wanted. She refused to become Kim's new prison; she promised freedom and that was what she was giving Kim, even if it meant that it would cost her the vampire down the line.

Ron was about to start up again seconds later, but he stopped himself for the first time. He reminded himself that Kim could take care of herself. She probably would not even need their help, he told himself. Kim could do anything, after all; he was sure that adding her vampire powers to the mix meant that she could do more than anything.

"Come on, Kim doesn't have any favorite haunts or something?" the blonde inquired impatiently.

"I could ask you the same thing," Shego countered with another deep growl, hoping that he would get the hint to stop talking.

"I'll tell you, in my years of spending all my time with Kim, I did learn a few things about where she hung out. What have you been doing with her all this time?"

Shego could not take it anymore; she did not care how worried he was for Kim. She screamed and turned around in a flash. She grabbed Ron by the collar and slammed him into a nearby building. Thankfully, they were on an empty street or someone would have called the police on her considering how violent her actions were.

"You haven't been through _half_ as much as I have with her, so shut the _fuck_ up about it!" Shego hollered. "Now, Princess has a life of her own! She doesn't need me breathing down her neck about shit after we spent all that fucking time being held prisoner and treated like fucking dogs! So, shut the fuck up already and let's just try to find her before that fucker Lee hurts her!"

Ron was surprised by Shego's outburst. It did not hold the same anger that he was used to from her. It was a near murderous rage that reminded him that he was not the only one hurting from Kim possibly being in danger. Hell, Shego might be hurting more than he was, he realized, since he knew that she and Kim saw each other as soul-mates. He was well aware that Kim looked at Shego as her world, having a relationship deeper than marriage as far as the vampire was concerned.

"Shit, Princess, where the fuck do you hang out with this bitch Carmilla?" Shego asked herself, keeping it all in her mind…along with her panic and sense of dread. She turned away from the blonde in her company and just scanned the streets, hoping for some sign of her lover.

"Kim just wanders around Middleton?" Ron asked curiously, wanting to change the subject if only to calm them both down. "People don't recognize her or anything? I mean, you guys could get reported if she just wanders around, right?"

Shego was quiet for a second or two, but then took Ron's bait. "Well, usually, she only goes to her parents' house. She might stop by every few days to check on Wade, but that's about it. Thankfully, you live in Japan and Monique lives in the city, so we don't really have to worry about Kim being spotted there," she explained.

"I was hoping that Kim had cool psychic vampire powers or something," the blonde remarked with a forced laugh.

"No. She says she has a mild hypnotic gaze, but I haven't seen it work…on anything…ever," the former thief quipped. Watching Kim work that "hypnotic gaze" was a comical and sad sight, she thought.

"That's cool…" he muttered.

Shego shook her head; he certainly did not sound as enthused about the powers as she knew he could sound. She ran her hand through her hair and resisted the urge to tear it out. _Where the hell was Kim?! _

Both of their concerned thoughts were cut off as a cell phone began ringing. Shego turned to Ron, knowing it was his phone. She did not have one anymore, after all. Ron went into the pockets of his baggy jeans and pulled out his phone. For a moment, he thought that it might be Yori checking up on him, but the caller ID let him know otherwise.

"It's Mr. P," Ron informed Shego before he flipped open the phone. "Yo, Mr. P," he greeted the rocket scientist, trying to sound normal just in case the Possibles did not know that Kim was in trouble yet again. He did not want to worry them yet.

"I'm sorry to call you like this, Ronald, but you're the only one that we can actually get in touch with. Some man with a knife broke into our house, wanting Kim and then she showed up and they started fighting. We know you're far away and everything, but we were hoping that you'd at least know how to get in touch with Shego," James explained in a frantic tone that Ron was definitely not used to hearing from any Possible.

"Shego's with me, Mr. P. We'll be there right away," Ron stated and he ended the call right there, flipping the phone closed. "She's at her parents' house and she's fighting with Lee right now."

"Shit! Did he hurt her parents?" Shego demanded to know as they changed direction and started running toward the Possible home.

"He didn't say anything about them being hurt, but he sounded shaken," Ron answered.

"If he hurts them, Kim will rip his head off no matter what cost," Shego muttered to herself. She wondered if ripping his head off would be enough for him to stay dead since tearing into his chest only slowed him down for a little while from what she could tell.

The pair ran at their top speed to get the Possible home. Neither had time to be amazed that the other was keeping up; they just knew that they had to move. They had to be there to help Kim.

"Kim can take this guy, right? I mean, we're just running like this just in case, right?" Ron asked, even though the urgency in Shego's step answered that question.

"Kim can do anything, remember?" Shego countered.

Ron nodded, but did not feel very reassured. They picked up their pace, counting the seconds in their heads as to how long it was taking them. They prayed for Kim to hang on, _a few more minutes, a few more seconds, just hang on_. They would be there soon and they would be able to help.

They were quite pleased by the time they hit the Possibles' street, making it there in record time and hoping that they were not too late. They bolted to the end of the block where the ranch-style home was. Everything looked calm, except for the fact that the home owners were standing on the lawn, holding onto each other as if they were lost at sea and staring at the house as if it was land that was drifting away. Ron and Shego wasted no time going up to the frightened doctors.

"Is Kim inside?" Shego demanded to know.

"Shego," Ron reprimanded her. "You two all right?" he asked the doctors.

"We're fine and, yes, Kim is in the house with a knife-wielding maniac. He wants to kill her," James reported in a breath, terror in his eyes. He hoped that they were not about to lose their daughter again.

"Ron, stay here with them," Shego ordered and then she dashed off into the house.

"Doctors P, you're fine here, right?" Ron inquired.

The doctors nodded and that was all the blonde ninja needed. He followed Shego into the house. Shego scanned the entrance and instinctively knew where she needed to go. She marched into the kitchen with Ron right behind her. She gasped at the sight that greeted her.

The kitchen was in ruins: the table was broken in half, the countertop was cracked open, some of the windows were broken, and blood was everywhere. Kim was lying on the floor, hissing at Lee, who was standing over her, looming over her, demeaning her with his mere presence. She was clutching a blade that was buried deep in her gut; it was a long, silver dagger.

Kim's eyes were flashed over with rage and her teeth completely elongated, on display for Lee as she growled at him like a threatened cat. There was blood covering her face, oozing from several different places, including her eyes. Her hands were flexed, even though they were planted on the tiled floor. Her chest was heaving as she drew in and released each breath.

Lee glared down at the wounded vampire with recognizable satisfaction in his cold eyes. He had a hand in his jacket, going for another weapon to finish Kim off with. The thought of it sent Shego into a blind rage.

"Get away from her!" Shego roared in a way that Kim certainly was proud of.

The green-skinned woman then released a plasma blast that she was not even aware she could do. The beam flowed from both hands like a vengeful swarm of locusts, colliding with Lee like a holy plague. The force burned him quite like the wrath of heaven, raining fire and brimstone. The hunter was blown back, away from Kim and through the side of the house.

Ron was slacked-jawed from the sight that he just witnessed. He was pretty sure that Shego had just killed Lee from the sheer strength of her power. She did not seem to care and fell to Kim's side in an instant.

"Kimmie, Princess, please, tell me you're all right! You can't die on me, damn it! You better be all right!" Shego pled as she wrapped her arms around the redheaded blood-sucker.

"It itches…" Kim moaned. Goddamn it, her stomach was itching! It was infuriating and she wanted to scratch a hole in her stomach to make the itching stop.

Shego moved quickly to relieve her lover's suffering. She yanked the blade out of Kim's belly. The vampire hissed in relief and laughed a little when the twelve-inch dagger was out. Shego then embraced her love, just to assure herself that Kim was all right and not dying.

"Damn, silver itches like fuck now," Kim complained in a low voice.

"Not enough to kill you, though, right?" the former thief begged.

"No, it's not killing me, Shego. It just itched a lot," Kim promised.

"What about the rest of you? You look worse for wear," Ron commented as he shook himself out of his stupor. He kept his eye on Lee, but went over to Kim to make sure his best friend was all right.

"Ron? What're you doing here?" Kim asked as she turned her attention to the blonde. Her eyes appeared a little tired, losing the anger that she had been directing at Lee as she took in the sight of her best friend.

"I was worried about you. That...thing came around my place a few days asking about you. I tried to get in touch with you, but first I had to figure out how and then to find out that you guys don't answer any damn thing," Ron huffed.

"You're something else now, aren't you, Ron?" Kim commented with a forced half-smile. She was giving her friend a compliment, the way he tracked them down and broke through their defenses. Ron was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"I'm more capable than the boy that let you down," the blonde replied, a dejected look washing over his warm brown eyes.

"You didn't let me down, Ron," Kim said with an encouraging smile. He definitely did not let her down with the way his life turned out.

Shego growled without realizing it. She was not interested in watching the best friends share a moment. She cleared her throat to cover up the growl.

"Okay, look, you two can hug and kiss later on. Right now, we have one fucked up vampire hunter laid out and a vampire that needs to get the fuck out of here before he wakes up," Shego pointed out.

"Wakes up? He can't get up from that," Ron pointed out while motioning to the body laid out partially outside of the house. Lee's body was actually smoking thanks to Shego's assault.

"You'd be surprised," Shego said grimly. She remembered when she thought that Kim had killed the bastard. The way that Kim had put her hand in his chest as if it was nothing, all for Shego. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Back when Shego was secure with her place in her universe.

It did not take long for them to find that Shego was very much correct. Ron's jaw practically hit the floor as Lee's body started to move and it was quite clear that he was about to get up. _How the hell could he still be alive after Shego laid the smack down on him?!_

"You know, I gotta admit, he still makes good goof-ball faces," Shego remarked, speaking about Ron while helping Kim to her feet.

"This isn't the time to be teasing him," the vampire scolded her lover. She then bit back a wince as she climbed to her feet.

"Ron, hold him off while I get Kim out of here," Shego said.

"Not a problem," Ron replied as he went into his pocket. He pulled out what appeared to be a swiss army knife. It was Shego's turn to face-fault, chin on the floor in disbelief.

"Are you going to uncork a bottle of wine for him in case he's thirsty while he's busy killing Kimmie?" Shego inquired with a craned eyebrow.

"Don't doubt the Ron," the blonde quipped as his swiss-army knife transformed into a katana right in his hand. "The Lotus Blade—lightweight, portable, fits right in your pocket."

Shego rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kimmie," she gently urged her love.

"Come on? I want that bastard to stand back up while I'm here, so I can fucking rip his heart out again!" the vampire roared, letting her anger take control again since Lee seemed ready for another round.

"Again? Did you do that before or after he had a fucking knife planted in your fucking stomach?" the raven-haired woman commented.

Kim actually growled at Shego. The noise was met with a hard glare. Ron glanced over at the immobile pair and then turned his attention back to Lee, who was, indeed, getting the hell up.

"Could you two have your little pissing contest later? Get her out of here already, Shego!" Ron commanded. He could not stand the thought of something happening to him while he was there, not again.

Shego moved to obey that order as if she was Ron's subordinate, without a snotty word or outraged look. Kim continued to protest, but she was in no real condition to fight Shego off. Lee stood as soon as Shego was able to get Kim out of the kitchen. Lee was about to make a beeline after them, but two steps into his charge, he was blocked. A furious ninja stood between him and his prey; a ninja with a shape-shifting katana and raging blue mystic aura.

"You want Kim, then you have to go through me," Ron declared with steel in his voice.

Lee snarled, showing off the fact that he had a rather impressive set of fangs of his own. Ron was not moved by the teeth, or by the fact that red seemed to be pouring into Lee's eyes from his fury. The blond squared his shoulders and met Lee's eyes with a determined glint shining in his own chocolate orbs. He silently dared Lee to try to go through him. The dhampire did not back down, reaching into his jacket for his own weapon.

The sword that Lee pulled out would have gotten admiration from Ron at any other time. Lee removed a Roman-style thrusting sword from his coat; a Gladius. The thick silver blade shined and Ron caught sight of inscriptions trailing up and down the weapon, but he could not tell what language the inscriptions were. Lee put the sword to his lips and whispered to the blade. The inscriptions began to shine a brilliant sky blue and then Lee aimed the sword at Ron.

"I don't make it a habit to kill humans, but when you side with my enemy, you become my enemy," Lee informed the ninja.

"I don't make it a habit to kill at all, but when you go after my best friend, you definitely become someone I need to stop at any cost," Ron replied. He also figured that if he could keep Lee talking, he could buy Kim some time to get away.

"So be it. You forfeit your right to live since you want to take the side of a vampire," Lee stated and then there was no more talk.

Ron was surprised by the way that Lee came at him, full force, attempting to cut him down with a single blow. Ron narrowly dodged as Lee tried to chop his arm off with his thick sword. Ron had to block the thrusting sword with his own blade as Lee came in for another attack.

"It won't be that easy," Ron proclaimed as he forced Lee back and went into his own attack.

Lee quickly went into his own defensive as Ron was graceful and relentless in coming at the vampire-hunter. Ron attacked steadily with his sword and then dropped suddenly, sweeping Lee's feet out from underneath him. Lee dropped and Ron stood over him with a glowing hand bathed in cerulean light aimed at the dhampir. Ron did not waste time with witty banter and let loose an energy blast against the bastard that was trying to take Kim from him under the guise of being righteous.

Lee watched as a potent energy beam came toward him for the second time that in less than fifteen minutes. The scowl on Ron's face and the gleam in those brown eyes told Lee everything that he needed to know about the power coming at him; it was intended to hurt, maim, and possibly incapacitate. The ninja was beyond serious about protecting that damned vampire, Lee silently noted.

Ron felt like he would be damned for all time if he let Kim down again. The power that exploded from his palm would make sure that Lee would not get to harm Kim any more than he had already done, Ron was sure of that. He was never going to lose Kim, especially not to Lee, he vowed.

"Bye," Ron muttered as he thought his blow was landed, crossing the short distance between him and the hunter.

Lee growled and he surprised Ron by batting the mystic force away with his sword. Ron was stunned for the moment, having never seen anyone slap his energy away when it was at such a level. He was knocked out of his stupor as Lee leaped to his feet and swung his weapon. Ron jumped back just in time to avoid losing his intestines.

"This guy's just a little better than I thought and a lot tougher than I thought," Ron commented in his own head.

It did not matter how tough Lee was, though. Ron was going to stand his ground. He was not going to let Lee get the better of him and he was going to give Kim some time to get away. He was not going to fail her again. He was not going to let some monster kill her…again. He was more ready to die than to let Lee out of the kitchen.

"I will have the beast's head," Lee informed Ron.

"As long as I stand, you're not having anything, but some of this," Ron declared and he jumped at Lee.

The men clashed weapons and growled in each other's faces as they got close enough for their noses to touch. They pushed each other back before coming in again to exchange blows. They refused to give up ground to each other.

"Anything for Kim," Ron chanted in his head. He would do anything for Kim.

--------------

Next time: the conclusion. Who lives, who dies, and who kills?


	5. Dissolve

I don't own these characters; Disney does. I don't own Carmilla. I do own Lee.

5: Dissolve

"Shego, let me go!" Kim ordered. Her voice was a deep growl as she tried to push out her love's arms. She wanted to go back into the fray and finish what she would say Lee, the vampire hunter, started.

Shego was holding the vampire tightly and she was not about to let the petite redhead go. Kim was injured from her battle with Lee, which was why Shego was pulling her away from the battlefield—at one time known as the kitchen of the Possible home. Shego knew that the moment that Kim was out of her grip, the insane blood-drinker would be right back in the fight, getting her ass kicked more than likely.

"Princess, stop fucking fighting me on this. You're in no shape to resist," the former thief pointed out in a snarl.

"I have to help Ron!" Kim declared in a heated tone. She was not about to desert her best friend and leave him to fight some supernatural asshole on his own. She needed to help!

"You can't help him in the shape that you're in! You can barely stand up! Besides, Ron's a big boy, in case you haven't noticed, and he can take care of himself," Shego argued in a hard tone of her own, growing tired of a pointless debate.

"You just want to abandon Ron, don't you?" Kim said in an accusing tone, narrowing her eyes. She was grasping for any excuse to just turn around and go back into that kitchen to hand Lee his ass on a plate.

"If you're implying that I want to get the buffoon killed, you're way off. Now, he's buying you some time to get away since that fucking psycho is after you. As soon as I get you to safety, I'll go get your idiot and fuck that asshole up," Shego vowed.

"It isn't your fight!" Kim argued.

"How dare you say that! It is my fight! This man is trying to kill you! Try to understand that I want you to live to see another fucking day for a little while longer, so stop acting like you can do every fucking thing on your fucking own!"

Shego would have gone further, but Kim chimed in. "I don't need you to fucking baby-sit me!" the redhead screamed back.

"It's not about that!" Shego hollered...and then she pulled the blood-drinker into a surprisingly gentle embrace. She pressed the smaller woman against her, allowing Kim to hear her heartbeat. "Damn it, Kimmie. Remember who I am," she pled with the vampire.

Kim stilled in her love's arms. Silence blanketed them, wrapped them in a soft calm, and they just felt each other breathing against each other. Kim became acutely aware of the heartbeat underneath her ear, a heartbeat that sounded for her and her along. She snuggled into the warm body holding her so lovingly and securely. In those moments, everything returned to as it had been between them.

"I don't want Ron to get hurt," Kim said in a low tone, as if she was scared that she might send Shego away if she spoke any louder.

"I know. Now, you have to have faith in him, first of all. You're not the only one that's grown up. You're also not the only one carrying a burden. This is something he has to do, just like I have to go back there to make sure the little idiot is all right, and just like you'll run back in there as soon as I turn to leave," Shego explained.

The redhead did not deny any of those things. She was well aware of the weight that Ron carried on his shoulders. He needed to work through that someway, and she knew that holding off Lee would be a good way for Ron to ease the weight that he put on himself. The ninja would finally be able to see himself as useful to his best friend and capable of protecting her, as if he felt he should have been able to do all those years ago in the woods when Adrian first crossed their path.

"Pumpkin, you have to do the smart thing right now, and then later, you can do the impulsive thing. Give your body a moment or two to bounce back like we both know it can, and _then _you can play the hero and go rescue Ron. Although you're going to have to admit to yourself that he has grown up eventually. You have to remember he's a grown man, not the seventeen year old boy you left behind," the green-skinned woman said in a gentle voice.

Kim nodded solemnly to that information. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that while she was stuck at seventeen, Ron was going on twenty-five. He was a grown man and had proven that right before her eyes on more than one occasion that he was quite the capable ninja. Then again...there was also the fact that they had sparred a couple of times, Ron wanting to show off, and he still could not beat her. If he could not beat her, then she knew that he could not beat Lee.

"Kim, please," Shego begged, thinking that her words were not getting through to the vampire. She did not want Kim to just rush back in there, facing down a hunter that had already gotten her number once.

"I'll wait, but only a few minutes. You go help Ron," Kim replied.

Shego nodded and was about to release the vampire, but she held onto her for a little while longer. She then stepped away from Kim. She caressed the smaller woman's cheek and leaned down to plant a quick kiss to Kim's lips. The redhead accepted and returned the affection. The kiss was not even five seconds and then Shego was off to help Ron fight off Lee.

Kim went upstairs, planning to settle in for at least five minutes to recover from her injuries. No, even with her seemingly ever-evolving powers, five minutes would not be enough time to fully heal the wounds inflicted by Lee and his silver blades, but it was better than nothing. She did promise Shego, after all.

--------------

Shego charged into the kitchen and was not surprised by the sight that greeted her. Ron was breathing heavy and hard. His clothing was shredded and blood was oozing down his arm and forehead. He was holding Lee off, though; she knew that he would be able to do that.

The two men were facing each other, swords kissing each other, the metal singing a menacing song as the blades slid against each other. Shego was about to smile, proud of Ron, but then Lee pushed the ninja back. Ron's back crashed up against the broken table and blood poured out of his mouth, letting Shego know that he was not as fine as he appeared to be.

"Watch out, blondie. I'm tagging myself in," Shego declared as she flared her hands. She wished that her plasma just had the same affect on Lee as it did with vampires, but she knew that even though he shared vampire blood, he had none of their weakness.

Ron did not have a choice in staying out of it as Shego marched into the fray, whacking the shit out of Lee with her plasma charged hands in an instant. The dhampire growled as the heavy blow landed on his side, forcing him to the edge of the kitchen. He gathered himself before Shego was able to come in for another blow, though.

Lee countered, waving his sword in Shego's general direction. The pale woman was almost cut in half diagonally by his thick blade, but she stopped herself from charging in. Lee followed her, pursuing her like a blood thirsty predator.

"Why do you protect that beast? What is wrong with you people?!" Lee bellowed as he tried to chop Shego up into little tiny bits. His eyes looked deranged, frustration setting in, like his world had been turned upside down.

"You wouldn't understand," Shego informed him in a cold tone. She had told him that the first time they met, back when he wanted to know why she would stand up for a vampire. She could see in his eyes that no matter what she said, he would never understand. To him, Kim just being a vampire made her worse than a demon and he would only see her that way. Plus, she could tell that he was a man that would never comprehend what it was like to love another person.

Hearing that answer again from someone that he viewed as a traitor to her own kind and worthless for protecting a monster enraged Lee. He went after Shego with more vigor and anger than ever, which did not seem to throw him off of his game like it tended to do with Shego. He screamed and grunted with each attack, veins bulging from his neck and head, eyes growing just a little wilder each time that he missed her.

The agile woman was doing quite a fine job staying away from the mean end of the hunter's sword, but she was running out of space. She also needed to keep track of where Ron was because she did not want to trip over him or, heaven forbid, get in his way if he decided to help.

She spotted Ron, finding out that he was either down for the count or going to need more time to get himself together. He was pale, more than likely from blood loss, and panting as if he had run a mile in under a minute. She was starting to wonder if Lee had done something to Ron while they were battling aside for inflicting the usual blows or if Lee really was quite as powerful as he seemed.

Shego decided that she had to do something about Lee while she had the free minutes. The last thing she wanted was for Kim to come charging into the kitchen and to have Lee turn his attention back to trying to kill the vampire. She flared her hands as much as she could and went to take Lee on head first. Ron could not believe his eyes as Shego's blazing claws went through Lee's sword. Unfortunately, the talons did not go through the whole blade as Shego wanted.

"Fuck!" the super-powered female hollered as the tip of the sword reached her flesh, ripping through her clothing and skin.

Shego's blood gushed, painting the kitchen floor. The pain was a surprise; ever since using the Philosopher's Stone, pain had stopped registering to her brain, but this sensation was too great to ignore. The pain let her know that her injury was serious and as she stole a glance at Lee's sword, she could see that it probably was serious. Her blood was oozing down the tip of the blade, giving her an idea of how deeply he cut her.

"He might've gone through my fucking ribs with that," Shego thought as she coughed up some blood and put her hand to her chest, hoping to slow the bleeding. She suddenly remembered the alchemist's words from when she drank the Stone: immortal did not mean could not be killed. "Fuck…"

--------------

Kim smelled blood, much more than she had been smelling before. Before, it had been traces of Ron's blood, which had her raging about going to help him. But, there was not nearly as much of Ron's blood in the air as the new, very familiar blood.

"Shego," Kim growled as her fangs extended completely and her eyes bled over, whites flooding with crimson.

The vampire practically flew into the kitchen, forgetting that she was still severely wounded. She roared like an angry lion as she caught sight of Lee going in for the death-blow on Shego, the center of her world. Kim was on him in a flash, grabbing his forearm, preventing him from bringing his sword down on Shego's head.

"Fucking bastard!" Kim howled as she started crushing his arm with her tremendous strength.

Lee grimaced for a moment before flinging the redhead off of him. She was already weak from their first round, so he was able to throw her around the room like an insect. He kept on her, grabbing her by the throat as she slammed against the sink. He punched her on the cheek as she was reeling from the impact with the countertop. She did not even have time to grunt from the pain.

"Kimmie…" Shego coughed, blood pouring out of her mouth. She staggered, wanting so badly to charge Lee and prevent him from slaughtering her beloved, but she was not even sure that she could make it the few feet across the kitchen.

Lee tightened his grip on the vampire's neck while continuing to punch her. Kim hissed in defiance of his hold, fangs all elongated to the point of paining her, and she then bit into his fist. He did not make a noise as she drank his foul tasting blood. He crushed her throat even more, causing her to gag, darkened blood shooting out of her mouth and nose, dotting the debris-covered floor.

"Let her go!" Shego and Ron ordered at the same time. They also acted in the same manner at the same time.

Shego threw a plasma blast with as much force as she could muster and was surprised to see it joined by a deep blue energy beam that she noticed came from Ron's direction; she did not know that he could use his mystical monkey powers in such a way. Lee expected the projectiles and twisted his body, turning and using Kim to shield himself. The blood-drinker hollered in agony as the beams connected; Shego's plasma hurt like a bitch in her weakened state, Kim silently noted.

"You want the beast? Take her!" Lee bellowed and he launched himself at the pair, swinging Kim at them like a club.

Shego took the brunt of the move, but she fell into Ron. They crashed onto the table, collapsing it, and wreckage dug into Ron's back. Lee looked down on them with a frozen expression in his already cold blue eyes. He then cut his eyes to Kim, who was still very much at his mercy as he strangled her.

Kim stared back him with blazing crimson eyes, boring into his soul…if he had one. His blood oozed from her fangs and she wrapped her hands around the arm he was using to choke her. She applied pressure and her nails penetrated his jacket, biting into the flesh underneath.

"Kimmie…" Shego whispered as she tried to climb to her feet.

"Why do you fight for this monster?! She's only going to devour you! That's all they do! I will rid the world of this plague," Lee declared with self-righteous fury.

"You don't know a thing about it," Ron grunted as he also tried to get up. He could not get his legs to move the way he wanted, though. He was vaguely aware of the sharp pain in his back; he did not know it, but a piece of wood from the table was buried in his lower back.

"I know you are fools. Standing up for a creature that is worthless, meaning, and just a beast. You're nothing more than a monster," Lee informed Kim.

The redhead merely growled. Years ago, such a statement would have bothered her, but now it was nothing to her. Shego assured her that it did not matter what she ate or if she could only go out at a certain time of day. She was still Kim Possible, just in a different form. She was not a monster.

Lee raised his damaged sword, planning to run Kim through with it from the looks of things. Shego let out an uncharacteristic whine and flung herself to her feet, only to fall over as soon as she was standing. She landed on her face, not having the energy to even catch herself with her hands.

"Kimmie…" the green-skinned woman whispered again, tears gathering in her eyes. She felt so weak and tired. She could only guess that she was dying. She was such a failure, she thought.

Ron let out one last effort, throwing three shiriken in Lee's direction. Lee moved and let Kim's abused body to take the sharpened ninja stars. Ron groaned and felt like crying. He failed Kim again, he thought.

"Never has a beast caused me so much trouble," Lee grumbled and then focused his eyes right on Kim. "I don't know how you are able to walk around during the day, but that just makes you all the more dangerous. I'll find out one day, but I'm sending you back to the grave now. I'll take your head. I don't care what kind of tricks you know, no one survives without a head."

Kim did not stop struggling, even though it was proving useless, as Lee raised his sword again. She had a feeling that Lee was right about no one surviving without a head, but no one would be able to tell that from the glare in her eyes. She looked like she was promising him that she would have the last laugh. He ignored the stare and started to bring his sword down.

Kim fully expected to feel his weapon cut through the meat of her neck, but the moment in which it was supposed to impact never came. She heard a strangled gasp and watched as a strange crescent-shaped object speed by…going through Lee. There was a buzz noise that accompanied the object and Lee barely moved as it went through him.

The vampire hunter smirked for a moment, as if laughing at all of his enemies. Then, blood oozed in a line around the curve of his neck. Flesh parted from flesh and muscle bid farewell to other muscle. Bone was treated to a simple breeze and a windpipe that never saw the light of day was able to greet the sun.

No emotion crossed Kim's face as Lee's head slid off of his shoulders. His body held onto her for a second before dropping down to the floor with his head; Kim landed on her feet. She did not even bother with looking at the lifeless eyes in the severed head of the hunter. She turned her attention to see who her savior was, thinking Wade had come to the rescue. Her senses were telling her differently before her eyes even made it to the kitchen doorway.

"Doctor Director?" Ron said in shock as he turned to look at who saved Kim.

Kim did not say anything to the GJ leader. She kept her eyes on the older woman as if she was an enemy. The one-eyed brunette stared back, but she did not make any moves toward Kim.

The vampire made her way to Shego's side and sat down on the floor, gathering the fallen female in her arms. She kept watching Doctor Director as she situated Shego against her in a comfortable manner, making sure to put pressure on Shego's most severe wound. The green-skinned woman blinked away her tears as she noticed that she was in Kim's arms. She directed her weary eyes to see who it was that saved the day.

"Betty, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Shego remarked, forcing out a sarcastic grin. She never would have guessed that one, she quietly noted.

"I don't get a thank you? You two are still as rude as ever then," Doctor Director replied in a clipped tone. Really, her mind was trying to catch up with her actions. Yes, she knew what she had come to the house to do, but to actually do it, to actually save a vampire and someone who had threatened her life, was more than a little surreal.

Before Shego could get out another smart comment, she passed out from blood loss. She did drift off thinking about how Kim came to her first. Maybe the vampire would stick around a little while longer, she dreamed.

--------------

Shego regained consciousness to find herself stitched, bandaged, and resting on the Possible sofa with her head in Kim's lap. She smiled a bit, even when she noticed Ron sitting right next to Kim. He was bandaged too, definitely having seen better days. She was about to say something to make fun of him, but from the way her body was throbbing, she was willing to beat that he was the better looking out of the two of them for the moment. Directly across from them, Doctor Director was standing and to the left the doctors Possible stood.

Doctor Director watched the three with a strange look in her eye, almost as if she felt their pain, they noted. The doctors Possible appeared confused and concerned, which was understandable.

"What happened to Lee?" Shego asked before she even realized she was talking.

"He said no one would live without a head. Apparently, he was right," Ron answered.

"So, that means Betty helped us. What's up with that?" Shego inquired, speaking to Kim or Ron. She was not going to bother with directing her questions to Betty.

"I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately," Doctor Director spoke up. She needed to explain herself to all of them, after all.

"You didn't find anything, did you?" Shego said bitterly.

Doctor Director bit back a comment, believing that the former villain had a right to say such a thing at the moment. She took a moment to compose herself, even though she did glance away. Her mind had had enough time to catch up with the rest of her, so she had confidence that she would be able to get out what she wanted to say. She took a deep breath, looked up, and kept her eye trained on the trio on the sofa.

"I found things I didn't like. I know how you all feel, like you failed in someway. Ron, you failed to save Kim when you were standing right there. Shego, you failed to get Kim the help that she needed. But, I failed her in worse ways because I failed her in the same ways, but I didn't even care at the time. I didn't even see it at the time.

"I just kept justifying what I was doing to her by saying that she was dangerous, but I finally realized that she always been sort of dangerous considering what she could do, but she's never been the enemy. She shouldn't have been the enemy now just because she drinks blood and sometimes gets angry. Yes, it does concern me that one day Kim might see people in the same manner that a lion views a zebra, but I've finally figured out that I shouldn't condemn her for something that she hasn't done yet and might never do…" the one-eyed woman explained. Her body language screamed "shame!" as she fidgeted and waited for reactions. The body language was ignored for the moment.

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Ron demanded, eyes and voice hard with suspicion. He was aware what Global Justice had done to Kim and Shego in the past; Kim talked about it with him much of the time, needing an outlet that had not lived it with her. He was not ready to trust someone who betrayed Kim so easily and used Shego, not after the way Shego helped him.

"Yeah, that's true, Betty. How do we know this isn't a trick? Maybe you're trying to get back at me and Kimmie before we get to you," Shego pointed out. Her eyes were locked on the leader of GJ, waiting for something to happen, so that she could be on the older woman like a second skin and be rid of Betty Director before something worse happened to Kim thanks to GJ.

"Why would I need to trick you? If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have cut Lee's head off right before he was about to run Kim through," Betty countered.

"Then maybe you want something from us and staged this little farce to get it," the green-skinned woman stated. She would not put something so cold and calculated past Director. After all, the woman had toyed around with her and Kim for years. Kim, a person Betty supposedly liked at one point in time, and Betty just used her for years, letting friends and family alike think the fiery redhead was lost, suffering, or even dead. No, Shego could not bring herself to just trust that Betty wanted nothing from them and she doubted that she ever would believe such a thing.

Betty nodded absently, thinking that the accusation made sense. It was a little rough to know that someone, or someones in this case, believed that she would set up killing a man that once worked for her in order for a some bigger plot. She was not that calloused, despite what she had done in the past or even what she did for a living. She had killed Lee because she knew that he would not stop until Kim was gone forever. She would not have been able to bear knowing that she was the one that put the wheels in motion to rid the world of Kim Possible.

"I only want forgiveness. I'm not a cruel or mean woman, unless I have to be. I treated Kim poorly and I want to make it up to her. Kim, you haven't shown that you're a danger and I'm sorry to have treated you as such. I know that doesn't make up for the years I've taken from you or your family, but I won't trouble you again," Betty vowed, staring the vampire right in the eyes.

Kim was silent for a long moment. Shego and Ron were both about to speak at the same time; amazingly enough, they were both going to tell Doctor Director to "shove it." But, Kim opened her mouth before her companions.

"It takes a big person to admit fault, especially someone with as much power as you. My instincts tell me you're sincere and I trust those. Besides, you didn't have to save my ass the way you did. You could've just let me die. Hell, you could've finished Shego, too, while you were at it," Kim said, glancing down at her very-injured lover.

"I'm glad you understand that," the one-eyed woman said in a low, grateful tone. She stared at her feet for a moment, feeling like a large weight was slowly, but surely being lifted off of her.

"I actually wasn't done. Aside for saving us, you helped secure Lee's body, which you didn't have to do. I know this is going to get you in trouble at work too," the vampire finished.

"As far as work is concerned, I was never here. I went home for the day to relax," Doctor Director remarked, forcing a smile. She had been bugged repeatedly about going home for a day of rest. Today, she just pretended that was what she was going to do and she knew that no one would question it considering the way that she had been holed up at the office for the past couple of months.

"I'm supposed to buy this bullshit?" Shego demanded to know.

"You're not in much shape to dispute it," Doctor Director countered. The former villainess growled at her.

"Shego," Kim said, gaining her lover's attention. "Let it go for now. She's said what she needed to say and she's done what she came here to do. We'll see how it goes from now on."

"It's that simple to you?" Shego asked, even though she knew the answer to that.

"With the day we've had, it has to be that simple. I'm following my instincts and my instincts say that I don't have to struggle with Doctor Director anymore," the vampire replied. Her instincts rarely led her astray and her love knew that.

"Fine," Shego huffed, but she did not raise the issue again.

"I hope we can start all over after this, Kim. I do want you to know that I never wanted you dead, even back when my opinion of you wasn't very high because of what you are. One day, I hope that I can actually help you and lift that little burden off of Shego's shoulders," Doctor Director stated. The couple knew that she was referring to restoring Kim's humanity.

Shego was close to saying that they did not need anything from Doctor Director, but she held her tongue. She would take the cure for Kim from anyone. Hell, Satan himself could approach her tomorrow with the cure and she would take it no matter what; the Devil could want her soul, her life, and anything else in her possession and she would have parted with it all for Kim's sake. The one-eyed woman was surprised by Shego's silence; she had expected a struggle.

"Can you go now?" Shego eventually demanded, speaking to Doctor Director. She was sick of the woman's foul presence.

"I don't get a thank you?" Betty teased, a forced smile tugged at her lip. She was not entirely comfortable with the couple to tease them yet.

"I won't get off of this couch and rip your other fucking eye out. Is that thanks enough?" Shego countered in a harsh tone. Ron flinched a bit from the statement while the doctors Possible appeared shocked and appalled that such a thing would come out of someone's mouth.

Doctor Director decided not to push her luck too much at the moment. She had a little peace of mind, knowing that Kim understood her position and did not resent her anymore. She felt better about herself, like she finally did the right thing. She wanted to keep that feeling for a little while before the Possibles figured out that she had been lying to them all of those years about Kim's whereabouts. She did have questions for Kim, but she would hold those for later.

When Doctor Director left, Kim turned her attention to her parents. She knew that they were waiting for an explanation, which she owed them. She sighed; they were being so patient, just like she remembered them being. She hoped that the explanation went well because she did not want to be without that patience again.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry this happened," Kim apologized humbly, eyes on the floor. She wanted to stand up and face them, but she also did not want to move Shego.

"You don't have to apologize, Kimmie. It's not your fault some crazed man came looking to kill you. Does this have to do with the time you were away?" her father asked curiously, concern moistening his eyes. What happened was so out of the ordinary that he felt it could only be linked to the other extremely strange thing to happen to the family: Kim's long term disappearance.

"It does. Mom, Dad, that was Lee. He was a vampire hunter. I'm vampire," Kim admitted, as if she was confessing to being an alcoholic or something similar.

"A vampire?" the doctors echoed as if they did not understand. They squinted as they racked their brilliant minds, trying to decipher their daughter's words. They wondered if "vampire" was some new sort of slang term because they were certain Kim could not mean the same type of vampire that they were thinking of.

"Yeah, I'm a vampire. I've been one almost since the day I vanished. I know Ron told me that you guys thought he was just hysterical because I was gone and that's why he was saying a vampire took me, but I'm actually a vampire. I used to only be able to go out at night. I still sometimes sleep in a coffin. I feed on blood to live. Well, I really just feed on Shego to live," Kim explained as best she could in as much of a normal voice as possible. She hoped that her parents' perplexed expressions would disappear.

"Wait, what are you saying? You're some undead creature?" James inquired. His mind was rebelling against the illogical things that his mouth was saying because he just could not believe it.

"I don't know about undead, but I did die and I am a vampire. I can show you my fangs if you want," Kim proposed. She wanted them to know and believe the truth right now to get everything out in the open where it needed to be and they could make a decision on what they wanted to do.

"Is that how you were able to survive your wounds?" Ann asked in a trembling tone. She recalled when she and her husband charged into the house to see Kim bleeding for almost everywhere, Shego split open, and Ron thoroughly wounded. It was amazing that the trio lived.

"It is. Well, it's the vampirism and I think the Philosopher's Stone, but that's another story. For right now, I want you to know that I am a vampire. I hope that doesn't change anything between us," Kim said, eyes pleading with her parents to continue loving her unconditionally.

The Possibles appeared to be in complete and total shock. They were cemented to the floor where they stood, barely a foot away from their daughter. They were not sure how to take the news, especially since they could tell that Kim was being totally earnest. The one thing that they did know was that they could not stand being without their daughter.

"Kim, I will admit that I didn't really understand what you just said aside for confessing that you're a vampire, but if you think that changes anything between us, you're wrong," Ann responded in a gentle tone that eased her daughter's heart and soul.

A lump suddenly overtook Kim's throat and she could not speak. She slowly lifted Shego's head from her lap, careful not to hurt her lover, and made her way to her parents. She breathed a sigh of relief when the doctors embraced her without hesitation. She could feel that her mother spoke the truth, their embrace was the same always, loving, caring, and warm. They still loved her.

"Thank you," the eternal teen whispered.

"Thank you for trusting us," James said.

"And for coming back to us," Ann added.

Shego watched the scene from her place on the couch and suddenly she did not feel too good about herself. She appeared as if she might throw up and the expression did not make it passed her soul-mate. Shego sensed that her pain had been discovered and she turned her head from view.

"Ron, we're sorry for not believing you all these years," Ann suddenly apologized to the blonde.

"Don't sweat it, Mrs. P. I mean, I'm over it now. I'm just happy that Kim's back and things are somewhat normal. Although I have to admit that I'm a little worried about what happened today. Do people hunt for you like that all the time, KP?" Ron asked curiously.

"Don't think too much on it, Ron. It's no big. Me and Shego can handle it," Kim answered with a carefree smile that he was used to seeing. Shego's body twitched at that statement.

"Still, maybe I should move closer—" Ron started, but he was cut off, practically at the knees from the way that Shego shot up, shouting. She did not even realize that her movement aggravated her wounds.

"We have it under control! We don't need you coming around trying to keep an eye on us! I can protect Kim by myself!" Shego proclaimed, her voice somewhere between roaring and crying.

Everyone was stunned by the outburst, but Kim spoke first. "Shego, calm down. You're bleeding again," the vampire said in a gentle tone while motioning to Shego's bandages, which were turning from white to red in a hurry.

Ann moved quickly to redress Shego's wounds, ushering the injured woman away from the others. Shego kept her eyes on the floor, embarrassed by her words and demeanor of moments ago. Ann did not say anything for a long few minutes, but she could not hold her opinion in for long.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" the doctor inquired while applying new bandages.

"I'm not afraid of a goddamn thing," Shego snapped in a less than believable voice.

"You're afraid of losing Kimmie. It's all right, Shego. We know she's been with you all of these years, and trust me, she would be just as lost if you were gone. So, I know what you're going through. Instead of getting angry that you might lose her, you might want to try talking to her while you have her. I'm sure you two either used to talk a lot or just took it for granted since you were the only company you ever had over the years," Ann said, as if she knew that the couple had been having severe communication problems of late.

Shego nodded; she had to admit, she and Kim did talk a lot more when it was just the two of them. They were the only ones that they had then, but now Kim seemed to have everybody and Shego felt like she had nobody. She could not go on as she was or she was just going to go insane, she thought.

When they returned to the living room, Kim, Ron, and James were speaking quietly to each other. They were all standing up and as soon as Shego came back to the room, Kim was by her side. Shego smiled a bit and she doubted that Kim had any idea how much the small gesture meant to her.

"What are you three talking about?" Shego asked curiously.

"My dad was trying to convince me that we should stay here for a few days, just in case," Kim answered.

Shego nodded and just like that the smile was off of her face. "Oh…" So, maybe it was the parents that would take Kim from her, she thought.

"I told him we'll be fine on our own. Besides, no one should be looking for us anyway. Ron volunteered to stay behind for a few days to make sure my parents are all right. So, you ready to go?" Kim asked curiously.

"Ready to go where?" Shego inquired, confused as to what was going on.

"Home, silly," Kim answered with an amused smile of her own.

"You sure?" Shego asked. She could not believe that Kim was just going to leave and go home with her after everything that happened. Kim had an excuse to stay with the Possibles right now, an excuse to get Ron to come closer to her, and she was not taking it. Shego just did not understand, but she made a promise to herself to ask.

"I'm sure. I think that Ron can handle watching out for my parents. We should make sure our home is secure and you need to relax anyway while you heal that injury," Kim answered, gently caressing her soul-mate's arm to get the older woman to agree with her.

"You sure?" Shego repeated because she could not believe what was happening. Kim was choosing to come home with her when she had an excuse to move back into her childhood home? It did not make any sense to Shego's mind—at least, it did not with the way the last few weeks had gone.

Kim chuckled a bit. "Let's go." She would have liked to stay with her parents for a little while longer to make sure that they were all right with everything, but she could tell that she had pressing matters to deal with involving her soul-mate. She wanted to get to those now.

Goodbyes were said and Shego was ordered to accompany Kim to the next family gathering—no excuses would be accepted. Shego was not allowed to protest, but they all knew that she would try to get out of it when the moment came. Kim just would not allow it.

--------------

Kim and Shego were lounging in bed, each forcing the other to stay in bed and recover from their battle with Lee. Kim was snuggled against Shego as always and from the feel of Kim's flesh against her own, Shego could swear that nothing changed between them. It felt like they were the same as always.

"Shego, why were you so shocked that I didn't want to stay at my parents' house? I mean, you seemed really surprised by it, like you expected me to jump at the idea," Kim commented, not able to look her lover in the eye. What if Shego wanted her to stay with her parents?

Shego was silent for a moment before deciding it was best to get it all out there. "I thought you _were _going to jump at the idea, Princess. Ever since we came to Middleton, I've actually been waiting for you not to come home one day. I'm waiting for you to tell me you're going to stay with your parents or move in with Ron or even with Monique," she confessed while pressing Kim closer to her, reveling in the feel of her world wrapped up in her arms.

"You're kidding! You really think I'm just going to abandon you after all we've been through together?" Kim asked in disbelief. Did Shego have such little faith in her?

"I guess this is what you would call one of those irrational fears. I thought you'd want to go back as close as you could to your old life. Fuck, when you met Carmilla and started hanging out with her, I thought, 'This is it. She's making friends. Soon, she'll have a bunch and she won't need me anymore.'"

"Shego!" Kim said in quite the scolding tone. "No one can replace you! I thought you were trying to push me away with the way you've been acting, but you're really just scared that I'm going to try to go back to my old life."

"I am," the older woman whispered and she pulled Kim ever closer. She fingertips danced across Kim's toned back.

"I won't leave you, not now, not ever. I want you to stay with me and I want to stay with you. Nothing is ever going to change that, not after all we've been through and not after all you've done for me. I like seeing my parents, but I'm going to stay with you. I like hanging out with Ron and Monique, but I'm still going to come home to you. Hell, I want you to come out with me and get to know them better, maybe be friends. I want to share my new world with my old world. I don't want to leave you behind or anything like that," Kim stated vehemently. She placed light kisses to Shego's neck to help get her point across.

"Deep down, I think I knew that, but the fear was always at the forefront of my mind, fucking up my thinking," Shego replied while shifting in order to feel more of her love's wonderful mouth.

"Well, don't doubt that I'll always be here with you. You know I love you, Shego. Hell, you know this is deeper than love. I don't even know what the hell they would call this. I know you feel it too, so you should know I can't just leave you anymore than you could just leave me," Kim pointed out.

Shego nodded. "This is true. I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk."

"It's okay. We should've talked about it. I should've realized something was bothering you when you kept coming up with excuses around the house to avoid going anywhere."

"Hey, those aren't really excuses. This house needs some fucking work and you have to start pulling your weight around here, missy. I think we need to get some kind of communications link with Ron too," Shego suggested.

Kim blinked. "You want to stay in touch with Ron?"

"For future safety reasons. I mean, he could've warned us about Lee, but because we're mostly offline, he couldn't get in contact with us, even through Wade. The spots he could get to, we're never near those places in the lair, so he couldn't get in touch with us to warn us. So, we need to do something about that," the former thief reasoned. She also knew that it would make Kim happy to be able to call Ron every now and then.

Kim nodded to that logic. "Sounds good."

"Do you really believe Director about this turning over a new leaf shit?" Shego asked out of the blue.

"She's a good woman. She just let her mind get clouded for a little while. I think she's sincere. Remember, she didn't have to kill Lee, but she did. Not just to save me at that moment, but to make sure he did not have another chance at my head. She did better than I did when I thought I killed him for what he did to you. I say we give her a chance," Kim answered.

"And wait for her to fuck us over again?"

"Hey, fool me twice, shame on me. I'll take care of it if I'm wrong. From what I can tell, I'm not wrong, though. She was sincere," Kim insisted.

"Okay, fine. She was sincere as far as you know. So, what now?" Shego asked curiously.

"We lay here and get some rest. The moment you're healed, I'm going take your breath away by making mind-numbing love to you and then try to talk you into leaving this house for a little while," the redhead answered as if it was all so obvious.

"What, and hang out with you and Carmilla?" Shego scoffed.

"I think you'd enjoy getting out of here every now and then. There's nothing wrong with hanging out with me and Carmilla," the vampire stated.

"I still don't trust her. She could be a vampire."

"Why, because her name is Carmilla? That's just a story. I mean, would you think that if we met someone named Vlad? Or Elizabeth?" Kim inquired, showing her knowledge of vampiric folklore.

"Depends on their last names, which I've noticed Carmilla doesn't have."

"She's not a vampire. She comes out in the sun," Kim said.

"And so do you, but you're a vampire. You know that according to folklore, sunlight really didn't bother vampires. So, maybe, ancient vampires can travel in sunlight. Have you met her family? Been inside her house? Anything like that?"

"No, but I haven't known her that long. Besides, if she was a vampire and she did mean me some harm, I'm sure she would have tried by now. You're just being paranoid because of your very irrational fear that I'm leaving. I'm not. Carmilla isn't taking me away. My parents aren't taking me away. Ron isn't taking me, Mo isn't taking me, and Wade isn't taking me. I'm with you, always and forever," Kim vowed.

Shego only smiled at those words as they seeped into every fiber of her being. Kim was hers and would always be hers. She was able to go to sleep after hearing those words, and she knew that she would need the rest if Kim really did have plans for her. Kim would take more of a toll on her than any chest wound could.

Kim curled into Shego's sleeping form and started to doze off with a smile on her face too. She was happy to know that Shego was not pushing her away. They were going to be together forever.

--------------

The end…

Well, there's always a chance that next Halloween there'll be around story for the series. We do need to know who or what Carmilla is, after all. Until then, I hope you enjoyed the series, not just "New Blood" and "New Life," but also "Blood Ties" by Zaratan.


End file.
